8 nominations each, but hardly any wins. Why 'A Complete Unknown' and 'Conclave' deserved more love at Oscars 2025

With eight nominations each, it seemed like Ralph Fiennes-starrer 'Conclave' and Timothee Chalamet's 'A Complete Unknown' had high chances of winning aplenty at this year's Oscars. However, as the morning progressed, the chances of both movies winning any major awards dwindled, and 'Anora' with only six nominations, became the clear winner at the ceremony, securing five awards. This was followed closely by 'The Brutalist', with three wins.

While 'Anora' and 'The Brutalist' were worthy of all the attention they received at the Oscars, 'Conclave' and 'A Complete Unknown' deserved better treatment. 'Conclave, which received major awards this season, including four BAFTAs, had to be contented with only one award at the Oscars—Best Adapted Screenplay for British author-playwright Peter Straughan. 

The film, though traditional compared to 'Anora,' was a top contender at the awards season, winning four BAFTAS and two SAG awards. Its brilliance, however, was on the technical front. 

Stephane Fontaine's cinematography in 'Conclave' was brilliant, soaking in the colourful frames and the aesthetics of the set at every turn. The film, which was nominated in 'The Best Cinematography' category, lost to 'The Brutalist'. The costumes by Lisy Christl were carefully crafted too. Over a 100 clergymen dressed in their papal robes may not seem appealing, but Lisy ensured it was. With her extra eye for detail and craft, Lisy ensured that each cardinal in 'Conclave' looked majestic enough. In one of her interviews, she mentioned how she spent many hours picking up differently embellished crosses for each of the main characters, depicting their thoughts and ideologies. The reformists, for example, wore silver crosses, while the conservatives were given golden crosses to wear. The makers also gave a lot of thought to redesigning the Vatican architecture as they were not allowed to shoot in the Apostolic Palace.

Meanwhile, 'A Complete Unknown', based on Bob Dylan's life and music career at the beginning of the 1960s, was shot down entirely in all departments. Though the lead actor Timothee Chalamet had clear chances of a win for his impeccable impersonation of the popular musician, the young artist lost to Adrien Brody, who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his work in 'The Brutalist'.

The movie, which was equally strong in other departments, including Best Adapted Screenplay, and the performances of its supporting actors, lost on all fronts. Monica Barbaro, nominated as Best Actress in a Supporting Role, lost to Zoe Saldana from 'Emilia Perez'. Though Monica had less traction than her co-stars Timothee and Edward Norton, it changed when she won the Screen Actor's Guild Awards later in the season, and people started raving about her performance in the movie. She ensured she added depth to her character by singing the songs crooned by the real-life singer Joan Baez whom she essayed in the movie.

Overall, the Oscars were highly unpredictable this year, unlike the 96th Academy Awards as films like 'Oppenheimer' went on to win at least seven of the total 13 awards.