By Michael Patrick O’Brien–
I have only watched half of the films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 2026. From what I have seen and read so far, however, it was a dark year at the movies.
The 98th Academy Awards (Oscars 2026) show will air on Sunday, March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, hosted by my cousin (not really) Conan O’Brien. A brief synopsis of the ten nominated best films (mainly from Rotten Tomatoes) is below.
Don’t get me wrong…these are some fine films.
Still, the principal themes seem to be death, murder, mayhem, death, racism, violent revolution, attempted infanticide, death, militant authoritarianism, death by flames, unimaginable loss, gothic horror, death, and alien invasion. And death.
Google AI seems to agree with me, describing this year’s crop of best movie nominees with words like: notably dark, intense, visceral, gross, nightmarish, kooky, hubris, and monstrosity
Google AI also notes other past examples of likely cinematic reflections of the overall national American mood:
– 2008 (the Obama era): Slumdog Millionaire matched the national sense of optimism and hope.
– 2016 (the first Trump era): Moonlight was seen as a “protest vote: or a direct acknowledgment of marginalized communities.
– 2020 (the Pandemic era): Nomadland reflected the loneliness and economic precariousness felt nationwide.
Critics often see the Oscars not as setting the tone for, but rather as mirroring—or even amplifying—the current political and social conversations occurring throughout the United States. If that’s true, we live in dark times.
Maybe we can hope fervently that someone will soon film and distribute a reprise of Annie and then, “The sun’ll come out. Tomorrow.”
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Sinners: “Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back there.” (Yikes! Irish Vampires!)
One Battle After Another: “Bob is a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts.” (OMG? White Supremacists named after Christmas!)
Train Dreams: “Based on the beloved novella by Denis Johnson, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Golden Globe-nominee Joel Edgerton), whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th century America….When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled.” (Brutal loss! Constant grief!)
Frankenstein: “Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro adapts Mary Shelley’s classic tale of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.” (Hating what you create so much that it starts to hate you too!)
The Secret Agent: “Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. Hoping to reunite with his son, he travels to Recife during Carnival but soon realizes that the city is not the safe haven he was expecting.”
Hamnet: “From Academy Award winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.”
F1: “Dubbed ‘the greatest that never was,’ Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was Formula 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling Formula 1 team that is on the verge of collapse. Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to Formula 1for one last shot…But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that…your teammate is your fiercest competition–and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.”
Marty Supreme: “Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.”
Sentimental Value: “Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father — and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.”
Bugonia: “Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.” (Yikes! And they may be right!)
*Mike O’Brien (author website here) is a writer and attorney living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Paraclete Press published his book Monastery Mornings, about growing up with the monks at the old Trappist monastery in Huntsville, Utah, in August 2021. The League of Utah Writers chose it as the best non-fiction book of 2022. Mike’s new holiday novel, tentatively titled “The Merry Matchmaker Monks,” will be published in time for Christmas 2026.
