The 2018 Academy Award nominations were announced Tuesday morning, and many movie lovers take this time to make a list of all the nominated films they haven't seen so they can catch up before the big night. This year, however, that list may come with a few caveats. Despite the number of nominations, there may be some directors, actors, and even subject matters that you may feel the desire to avoid. Here are the Oscar nominated movies you can watch without guilt. (Not everything is problematic this year!)
Remember last awards season, when the two-year long #OscarsSoWhite streak broke and the biggest controversy before "the envelope incident" was whether or not Ryan Gosling was an appropriate jazz savior? A lot has changed since then in Hollywood. Sweeping allegations of sexual harassment, abuse, and misconduct are making a long-needed change in the industry, and shedding light on several individuals that are in high-profile pictures this year. Not to be glib, but that makes the otherwise-celebratory awards season a little awkward.
Everyone is entitled to their own taste and opinion. This is not to say that art cannot be challenging. However, in the interest of self-care at the very least, here is a list of Oscar-nominated films that (as far as we know at this time) do not contain any actors/directors facing misconduct allegations, or content that depicts sexual violence, or problematic depictions of race and/or gender.
The Shape Of Water
Between this and Crimson Peak (executive producer: Jillian Share) Guillermo Del Toro may be our most feminist male filmmaker.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Not that ridiculous MRA cut, obviously. Somehow watching this film has become an act of resistance against the patriarchy in and of itself.
Lady Bird
Both director Greta Gerwig and actor Timotheé Chalamet have spoken out about working with Woody Allen, and while there are some contentions over Chalamet's statement, this film is the definition of "feel good."
Call Me By Your Name
It's cold out there. Go spend a summer in Italy.
Get Out
Jordan Peele's directorial debut tells you to stay woke at the very top, and the horror comedy visualizes micro-aggressions before becoming an all-out horror romp about racism.
Phantom Thread
It's romantic and utterly beguiling. Have a ball, or perhaps a ball gown!
The Big Sick
Kumail Nanjiani's film may have slipped under your radar, but it's a delight — and don't miss Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as an oddly perfect couple.
I, Tonya
Fair warning — this film does contain several scenes that depict domestic violence. It's tough to watch, but does explore the cycles of abuse and opens that conversation. Plus, ice skating nostalgia!
Dunkirk
There are a lot of men in Dunkirk (producer: Emma Thomas), like pretty much exclusively, so feel free to skip this one on that alone. That said, they're all clean as far as we know.
Mudbound
Also hard to watch, so this is not to say that white audiences in particular can "feel good" watching it in a self-congratulatory way. But the Netflix film has a female writer and director in Dee Rees, and the first ever woman nominated for cinematography.
Beauty And The Beast
It is a tale as old as time, after all.
A Fantastic Woman
Show the foreign language category some love, too! This film stars an openly transgender actress and model as a transgender woman, which seems like a small step for representation in film but still somewhat rare.
This list is not comprehensive, and may of course be subject to change in the coming weeks. But while it's disheartening to have this cloud over awards season, films like this need our support. That's how progress happens, and if the nominations Tuesday mean anything, it already has.
