2017 was one of the few banner years for queer film at the Oscars. \u201cCall me by Your Name\u201d was a Best Picture nominee and took home the Adapted Screenplay award. \u201cA Fantastic Woman\u201d won Foreign Language Feature and in doing so, became the first film with an openly transgender performer in a lead role. Cinemas in 2018 have been home to a plethora of LGBT themed movies that could make for the gayest Oscars yet. As LGBT History Month draws to a close, let\u2019s take a look at this year\u2019s crop of queer contenders.<\/p>\n
The highest profile Oscar contender about queer life is \u201cThe Favourite<\/a>.\u201d The period film features\u00a0Olivia Colman<\/strong>\u00a0as a devilish Queen Anne, with\u00a0Rachel Weisz<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Emma Stone<\/strong>\u00a0jockeying for her attention. The performances have captured major attention, having already landed a win for Ensemble Performance from the Gotham Awards. Colman claimed the Best Actress prize at Venice, and the film was nominated for the Queer Lion<\/span><\/strong> and won the Grand Jury Prize.<\/p>\n While\u00a0Yorgos Lanthimos<\/strong>\u00a0has a style all his own, this film is much more accessible than his previous outings such as \u201cThe Lobster.\u201d With excellent word of mouth, \u201cThe Favourite\u201d is poised to become the biggest nomination getter of any LGBT themed flick this year. The film currently ranks fourth in Gold Derby\u2019s combined odds for Best Picture.<\/p>\n Though the film has widespread appeal, there is always a chance it could fall out of the top race just like \u201cCarol.\u201d Directed by auteur\u00a0Todd Haynes<\/strong>, \u201cCarol\u201d was widely predicted to be a Best Picture player. But ultimately the Haynes style left too many voters cold. The film received six nominations, including acting bids for\u00a0Cate Blanchett<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Rooney Mara<\/strong>\u00a0as the central pair of lovers, but was snubbed for the top category.<\/p>\n \u201cColette\u201d is another period piece in the Oscar hunt. The film is exciting for its decidedly queer sensibilities.\u00a0Kiera Knightley<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Dominic West<\/strong>\u00a0have never been better: she as the title character who writes the infamous Claudine books, and he as the boorish husband whose name they are published under. Together they embark on a journey that examines women\u2019s rights, queer identity, and contemporary ideas about monogamy and marriage.<\/p>\n The film could easily perform similar to \u201cThe Danish Girl,\u201d a film about the first man to undergo gender reassignment surgery, whcih nabbed Oscar nominations for stars\u00a0Eddie Redmayne<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Alicia Vikander\u00a0<\/strong>(who won). It also netted Costume and Production Design nominations, which \u201cColette\u201d could also manage. Knightley alters her physicality from what we are used to, as her character adopts a more androgynous persona. And West is making a similar play to Vikander, in that he really has a lead role but will compete in Supporting.<\/p>\n \u201cBoy Erased\u201d is based on\u00a0Garrad Conley\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0memoir and tells the story of a teen forced into gay conversion therapy after being outed to his conservative parents.\u00a0 \u201cDallas Buyers Club\u201d showed that voters will still nominate heavy gay dramas in the top category. That film won two Academy Awards for stars\u00a0Matthew McConaughey<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Jared Leto<\/strong>. \u201cBoy Erased\u201d also has several acting plays.\u00a0Lucas Hedges<\/strong>\u00a0is in ninth place in the combined odds, and could be held back in a crowded Lead Actor field due to his other release this year \u201cBen is Back.\u201d It\u2019s always hard competing with yourself. But\u00a0Nicole Kidman<\/strong>\u00a0sits in sixth place for Supporting Actress. A past winner with four total nominations under her belt and undergoes a major evolution during the film certainly makes Kidman a major threat.<\/p>\n \u201cLove<\/a>, Simon\u201d made waves when it released in the spring because it was the first ever major Hollywood rom-com about gay teenage romance. While the academy is generally adverse to this type of film,no matter how successful, \u201cLove, Simon\u201d has a much better chance with Golden Globe voters. \u201cLove, Simon\u201d will compete in the Musical\/Comedy category at the Globes, where it sits in 10th place in our combined odds. But all hope is not lost, as the Globes have nominated queer stories in this category before, including \u201cThe Ritz,\u201d \u201cThe Birdcage,\u201d and \u201cPride.\u201d Faring better than the film itself is leading man\u00a0Nick Robinson<\/strong>, who is currently predicted to land a nomination as he places fifth in our combined odds for Musical\/Comedy Actor. No matter if the film plays with awards groups or not, the fact that \u201cLove, Simon\u201d presents young gay people with a positive coming out story that has a happy ending means this film has already earned its place in LGBT history.<\/p>\n Looking at global Oscar entries, there are two films looking to follow in the footsteps of \u201cA Fantastic Woman\u201d and keep the Foreign Language Feature category in the queer family. \u201cGirl\u201d is the official entry from Belgium. Like last year\u2019s Foreign Language winner, this film features a transgender lead. It focuses on a 15-year-old transgender girl Lara who attempts to balance the rigors of performing with a ballet company as she prepares for gender reassignment surgery. When it screened at the Cannes Film Festival this year it won the Queer Palm award and the Camera D\u2019Or for best first feature.<\/p>\n Argentina has also selected an gay tinged movie as their Oscar entry. \u201cEl Angel\u201d comes from director\u00a0Luis Ortega<\/strong>\u00a0and chronicles the life of infamous baby-faced killer\u00a0Carlos Puch<\/strong>. The film gives plenty of attention to the boyish features that dubbed Carlos \u201cThe Angel of Death,\u201d and delves into the homoerotic bond he had with his partner in crime. The film was another nominee for the Queer Palm at Cannes.<\/p>\n Be sure to check out how\u00a0our experts<\/a>\u00a0rank this year\u2019s Oscar contenders. Then take a look at the most\u00a0up-to-date combined odds<\/a>\u00a0before you make your own Oscar predictions. Don\u2019t be afraid to jump in now since you can keep changing your predictions until just before nominations are announced on January 22.<\/p>\n