Courses to take based on your favourite Oscar nominee

With the Academy Awards just behind us, here’s how to further explore your interests when course selection rolls around

By: Scarlett Sapieha, Arts and Culture Contributor

The 97th Academy Awards nominees for Best Picture explore a variety of fascinating subjects, and McMaster has an extensive catalogue of electives that dive deeper into these interests. Here are the courses to take next year, based on your pick for Best Picture.

Anora

Frequently described as an “American Cinderella story,” Anora is a film about a sex worker who marries a Russian oligarch. CMST 2H03: Gender and Performance explores how gender and sex inform different performance texts through feminist lenses, leaning into the themes of the film about autonomy and sex as a transaction rather than pleasure.

The Brutalist

The Brutalist tells the epic saga of a Jewish architect escaping Europe during the Second World War to start a new life in America. Though Adrien Brody’s character specializes in the brutalist style, GKROMST 2BB3: Constructing the Ancient World is your chance to learn about the fundamentals of architecture that still influence design today.

A Complete Unknown

Timothée Chalamet’s performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown wowed audiences with the research and detail put into the role. MUSIC 2II3: Popular Music in North America and the United Kingdom: Post-World War II is your opportunity to learn about the musical greats of the era at the same critical level. Study everything from Chuck Berry to Madonna—record labels to production studios.

Conclave

Visually stunning and technically masterful, Conclave follows the College of Cardinals as they vote to elect a new pope. It dives into what values a Catholic figurehead should have and how they shape the global politics of the church. Gender, race and sexuality have all historically been loaded concepts in religion—explore why and how in SCAR 2RD3: Religion and Diversity.

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two continues the story of Paul Atreides on the desert planet of Arrakis. ANTHROP 3SS3: Sacred Journeys is a study of pilgrimages and secular relationships. With a film about false prophets, manipulation and a whole lot of walking, it’s hard to find a better companion course.

Emilia Pérez

Emilia Pérez follows a cartel leader who fakes her death to have gender-affirming surgery. The film has been criticized for poor writing, its use of AI, a transphobic narrative and racist depictions of Latinx communities. SOCIOL 3U03: Sociology of Sexualities examines how sexuality and identity have been shaped by historical and social contexts.

I’m Still Here

Based on a true story from life in the Brazilian military dictatorship, I’m Still Here centres on the forced disappearance of Rubens Paiva and the struggles his family faces in the aftermath. POLSCI 1AA3: Government, Politics, and Power examines how power shapes political structures and the ideas and events that have shifted modern politics.

Nickel Boys

Shot almost entirely from a first-person perspective, Nickel Boys is an impressionistic film that captures a feeling more than a linear narrative, pairing well with IARTS 1PA3: Perspectives A: Arts in Society: Social Constructions of Class, Race and Gender. This course examines how art shifts narratives around social issues and how artists communicate through different mediums.

The Substance

The Substance follows Demi Moore as an aging actress pushed out of the industry, who finds an experimental drug that will split her consciousness in two—one as she is now, and one as her so-called best self. Examining sexism and ageism in entertainment, GENDRST 3BB3: Gender and Visual Culture explores how gender is expressed and interpreted in visual mediums.

Wicked

A critical study of how so-called villains are made, Wicked gives audiences a backstory for the iconic Wicked Witch of the West and how she became so despised. GERMAN 2FT3: The Fairy Tale (Taught in English) studies the history behind the fairy tales we love, starting with the Grimm Brothers and pushing forward to myth and modern folktales.

Regardless of their wins and losses at the Oscars, these films introduce relevant themes that stand strongly on their own. What better way to discover a new interest and inspire your studies than through cinema?