Luca Guadagnino's film 'Challengers' has emerged as a beloved modern classic among younger audiences, yet it faced complete neglect during the recent Oscar nominations. This discrepancy raises confusion about how such a popular film could be overlooked by the Academy. The article discusses the challenge of the 'prestige pivot,' where films must show they deserve artistic recognition despite having commercial roots. 'Challengers' struggled with this as a melodrama and lost its chance to impress voters when it missed the prestigious Venice Film Festival, impacting its chances for recognition.
In the world of awards, there's a move I call the 'prestige pivot,' by which a commercially inclined film convinces voters it deserves to be recognized for its art, too.
Challengers is regarded as a modern classic and a clear choice for one of the ten best films of the year among my peers, but the Academy completely overlooked it.
A frothy melodrama like Challengers was always going to have a tougher hill to climb than, say, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The film's bid was also hamstrung by an accident of timing, missing the opportunity to premiere at a prestigious film festival.
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