Nominations: Academy Awards 2021

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If there’s one thing that people who follow the Oscars know is that the Academy loves movies that talk about Hollywood and the art of cinema. That love grows exponentially if the plot revolves around old Hollywood, a period during which making movies was considered more glamorous and the head of the studios were the ones calling the shots in town. 

It is no surprise, then, that Mank is nominated in 10 categories this year. It is a black-and-white film that tells the story of how Citizen Kane, still considered by many the “best movie of all time,” got made.

It focuses on screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) and his struggle to write Citizen Kane while recovering from an injury he suffered during a car accident. Directed by David Fincher, with a screenplay by his late father, Jack Fincher, Mank has a non-linear structure, just like Citizen Kane, going back and forth in time. It also touches on political issues, particularly involving Upton Sinclair, who was running for governor of California.

When Mank was announced, it quickly became one of the most anticipated Netflix movies of 2020, thanks to the stellar cast and to David Fincher, who is my favorite director. It was unfortunate, then, that it didn’t meet the expectations. It can be a bit boring and very dense, despite being clearly very well made.

The characters are not very likable and the topic itself is not that appealing, especially for those who are not fans of Citizen Kane to begin with. The fact that it didn’t get nominated for Best Original Screenplay is already very telling: the Academy preferred the visuals and the technical aspects of it, as opposed to the actual story.

Let’s hope David Fincher’s next project is a bit more exciting than this one. Mank is currently available on Netflix.