VCU news

By VCU News staff

It’s awards season, and that means it’s time to talk about the movies.

On March 2, the 97th Academy Awards will see the most talked-about films of the year go head-to-head for one of the most prestigious recognitions in showbusiness. This year’s most-nominated films cover everything from faith and friendship to the insidious effects of beauty culture.

Ahead of Hollywood’s biggest night, five Virginia Commonwealth University professors shared their reviews of Oscar contenders that aligned with their area of expertise.

Conclave

Nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Few institutions on earth have inspired as much intrigue, reverence, and controversy as the Catholic Church, and “Conclave” masterfully plunges into its most secretive ritual — the election of a new pope. Adapted from Robert Harris’s novel and directed deftly by Edward Berger, “Conclave” isn’t just a gripping thriller but also a profound meditation on faith, morality and the political machinations within the walls of the Vatican.

From its opening frames, “Conclave” immerses viewers in an atmosphere of solemnity and suspense. Following the unexpected death of the pope, the world’s most powerful cardinals are sequestered inside the Sistine Chapel to select a papal successor. Cardinal Lomeli (played with gravitas by Ralph Fiennes) emerges as the reluctant protagonist, tasked with overseeing an election where careerist ambition and piety are in constant tension. As the ballots are cast in several rounds, alliances form and unravel, secrets come to light, and a shocking revelation threatens to upend centuries of patriarchal tradition.

What makes “Conclave” so compelling is its deft balancing of theological depth and political tension. The film understands that the Vatican is not just a religious institution but also a geopolitical force, and the screenplay skillfully explores how personal convictions and institutional power collide. In this regard, the film echoes real-life church history, drawing inevitable comparisons to past papal elections, particularly the unexpected ascension of Pope Francis in 2013 following Benedict XVI’s shocking resignation. The film’s depiction of ecclesiastical politics feels completely relevant in an era where the Church continues to grapple with internal divisions between reformists and traditionalists.

At the heart of “Conclave” is Fiennes’s Oscar-nominated performance as Lomeli, a man of deep faith yet troubled by doubt. His internal struggle mirrors the broader themes of the film: Can righteousness and power ever truly coexist? The supporting cast — ranging from the ambitious Cardinal Tremblay to the enigmatic Cardinal Adeyemi — each bring their own ideological baggage, reflecting the diversity and complexity of the Catholic hierarchy. Their performances elevate the narrative beyond mere political drama into a theological chess match where the stakes are both worldly and eternal.

The film is also a visual tour de force. Cinematographer James Friend captures the Vatican’s grandeur in all its baroque opulence while maintaining an air of claustrophobic tension within the locked chapel. The interplay of light and shadow serves as a visual metaphor for the film’s core struggle between revelation and concealment, truth and manipulation. Berger’s direction is restrained yet meticulous, ensuring that the film never veers off to melodrama while still maintaining a steady undercurrent of suspense.

Beyond its immediate plot, “Conclave” invites reflection on the nature of leadership and the burdens of faith. It asks whether divine will can ever be discerned through human institutions and whether those who seek power are truly worthy of it. These questions resonate far beyond the Catholic Church, speaking to broader concerns about governance, ethics and the limits of human wisdom.

Ultimately, “Conclave” is a rare film that succeeds both as a thriller and as a philosophical meditation. Thought-provoking, superbly acted, and visually stunning, it stands as one of the finest cinematic explorations of faith and power in recent memory and should win at least one Oscar for either best actor or adapted screenplay.

– R. Andrew Chesnut, Ph.D., professor and Bishop Walter Sullivan Chair of Catholic Studies in the School of World Studies, College of Humanities and Sciences

Dune: Part Two

Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

I first read Frank Herbert's "Dune" when I was in sixth grade. A paperback edition of the novel, along with its two sequels, had been on a shelf in a hallway bookcase for as long as I could remember. When I asked my mom what it was about, she said it was about, "people who lived on a planet so hot and dry that they wore suits that recycled their sweat and greeted each other by spitting, 'as a gift of moisture.'" I read the first chapter, "where young Paul is forced to put his hand in the pain box," and I was hooked. As a young reader, I loved the world building as much as the adventure, appreciating the way in which Herbert threw you into the deep end without stopping to explain the Bene Gesserit, the Landsraad, or really much of anything beyond the importance of the spice. 

When they announced production of David Lynch's film adaptation, released in 1984, I was ecstatic. I devoured news of the production with unbridled optimism: "Sting is playing the murderous Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen? Heck yeah!" I saw the film on opening weekend and was crushed. While the special effects were bad, even worse were the battle scenes full of fremen yelling into weird microphones which caused rocks and ships to explode, a change David Lynch made because he was afraid the movie would look like "Kung-Fu in Space." I don't think I've ever left a movie theater more disappointed. 

When I heard Denis Villeneuve was directing a new adaptation I was cautiously optimistic. "Arrival" had been great and I'd enjoyed "Blade Runner 2049", and it was obvious he loved and respected his science fiction source materials. And while it helps that he's talented director, what makes both "Dune: Part One" and "Dune: Part Two" work so well is that same respect, as well as an equal respect for the intelligence of his audience. And the films are beautiful, both in terms of how they're shot and how they are scored. There's a sense of an epic scope in the films that resonates with me as a reader who was blown away by Herbert's novel so many years ago.

– Les Harrison, Ph.D., associate professor and chair in the Department of English, College of Humanities and Sciences

A Real Pain

Nominated for two Academy Awards.

“A Real Pain,” written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, is an at times poignant, at times humorous movie, full of awkwardness and pain, that pitch-perfectly captures the American Jewish experience with the Holocaust but is ultimately an uninsightful narrative about a relationship between two cousins.

The movie centers on David (Eisenberg) and Benji (played by Kieran Culkin), American Jewish cousins who are left some money from their grandmother to join a heritage tour in Poland so they can see where she grew up before surviving World War II and moving to America. The mix of characters who accompany David and Benji on their tour in “A Real Pain” are spot on, and the movie keenly reveals the way our usual American affect fails in the face of history’s endless darkness. At one point, Benji yells at David: “Feel something, man!” David’s character captures the infuriating inability to know what to do with all this history.

Yet while Benji, who is the motivating energy of the movie, is sometimes refreshingly honest, he is more often rude, even cruel, in a way that undercuts his moral insights. In effect, I’m not sure if his character isn’t too distracting to a viewer who isn’t already sympathetic to the purpose of the movie. Which is to say, Benji makes American Jews and their memory of the Holocaust look like a total put on: privileged and entitled dead-end jerks who’ve been given every opportunity but end up sleeping on their parents’ couch yet claiming to somehow be affected by the Holocaust. It makes me wonder if Eisenberg thought that a straight movie would be too maudlin. Which then feels like the deeply American tick when it comes to history: our total inability to just sit with sadness and also be grateful to be alive. 

Which isn’t to say “A Real Pain” doesn’t have its moments. In my experience, it precisely captures the way a visit to a death camp (in the movie’s case, Majdanek, outside Lublin, more or less incorrectly called a concentration camp) can knock even the shallowest person out of themselves — at least for a moment. It shows how quiet and solemn everyone is during the visit, but then, when you get back to the hotel, life quite seamlessly and quickly returns to normal, and the feeling, whatever it was, that the death camp conjured, has been washed away, and you go to the picturesque European market and then out to dinner and the whole place becomes an exotic vacationland once again, silly and delightful, cheap, beautiful, and ugly in that uniquely East Europe way — in the end, just a place one went one time. 

Ultimately, “A Real Pain” is a sad movie, but not really because of the history, which is entirely a backdrop to the relationship between the cousins and the chasms that can lie between human beings even when they stand beside each other.

So why the backdrop of the Holocaust? I couldn’t really tell you, other than saying that it’s a movie that gestures at introspection without having any and conjures up images of history without in any way even hinting that your life should change because of that history. It’s as self-absorbed as everything else in contemporary American life, where the past is just about what it means to me, myself, and I, and there’s not a chance in hell I’m going to change my beliefs or actions because of anyone or anything in history — even a death camp. 

– Samuel J. Kessler, Ph.D., assistant professor and Harry Lyons Chair in Judaic Studies, Department of History, College of Humanities and Sciences

The Substance

Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

There is much to applaud about “The Substance.” It is a delight to see horror, an under-appreciated genre, receive public recognition. Demi Moore gives a brave and captivating performance intensely embracing a vulnerable topic that certainly holds personal relevance. Moore herself has certainly borne the brunt of ageism throughout her career. At times, I found her portrayal of hyper-scrutiny-turned-self-loathing to be so palpable that it was harder to watch than the gorier scenes.

However, my major criticism of the movie is that it leaned too heavily on extreme body horror to make its point and, in doing so, lost some of its impact. I watched this movie with family members who, unironically, commented throughout the movie on which actresses had “aged well” and who had “let themselves go.”

These interactions highlight the real horror captured by this movie – the fact that the general public continues to hold fear and disgust of healthy, normative female aging. In return, women feel compelled to contort themselves in all manner of ways to be deemed acceptable and relevant. It would have been more impactful to have the film linger further on this slow, subtle process of recoiling from oneself, rather than to pummel the audience (quite literally!) in buckets of blood, pus and cerebrospinal fluid.

— Ann F. Haynos, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, College of Humanities and Sciences

Wicked

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The “Wicked” movie has finally hit the big screen, and it is nothing short of extraordinary. While the film brings the beloved musical to life with breathtaking visuals and a fresh cinematic perspective, it’s the powerful performances of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda that truly steal the show. 

Cynthia Erivo’s portrayal of Elphaba is transformative. As someone who has followed her career, it was a joy to see her bring her incredible vocal range and raw emotional depth to the role. Erivo infuses Elphaba with a mix of strength, vulnerability and defiance that is magnetic. Her vocal prowess is on full display, particularly in "Defying Gravity," where her ability to belt with power while maintaining emotional authenticity is extraordinary. The emotional complexity she brings to Elphaba adds depth to a character already known for her internal struggles, but more importantly, she has become an inspiration to the next generation of talented Black performers. Watching her shine on the big screen reminded me of the life-changing experience of seeing the 1997 screen adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella,” starring the iconic Brandy and Whitney Houston — two powerhouse women who looked just like me.

On the other side of the dynamic, Ariana Grande’s Glinda is a perfect foil. There’s a playful charm to her Glinda, but also moments of introspection and vulnerability that show the character’s more nuanced side. Grande’s comedic timing is spot on, especially in scenes where Glinda is in her element as the bubbly, over-the-top princess. But it’s in quieter moments, like her reflection on her friendship with Elphaba, where Grande truly shines.

The performances of Erivo and Grande have breathed new life into these iconic roles, and I find myself incredibly inspired by their ability to balance vocal power with emotional storytelling. Watching them, my students are seeing firsthand how musical theater performance can transcend beyond technique and become an emotional experience. The impact of these portrayals is something I look forward to sharing with them as they continue to develop their own craft.

The way Erivo and Grande seamlessly blended their vocal abilities with deep emotional connection has inspired my students to explore new dimensions in their own work, both as singers and as performers. They’re learning that truly powerful performances come not just from hitting the right notes, but from embracing and expressing the emotional depth that these characters embody.

As we await the release of part two of the “Wicked” movie, I’m filled with anticipation. If the first part was any indication, the second half will undoubtedly continue to showcase these brilliant performances, deepening the connection between Elphaba and Glinda, and further exploring the themes of friendship, power and self-identity. The film has set a new standard for how these roles should be portrayed, and it will be a joy to see where the story takes us next.

– Desirée Dabney, assistant professor, head of musical theatre, Department of Theatre, School of the Arts