Oscar 2026: Best Picture - "Battle by Battle"

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony concluded in Los Angeles. The top prize went to "Battle After Battle."

"Battle After Battle" is a masterful tragicomedy action film from one of today's leading directors, Paul Thomas Anderson. Based on Thomas Pynchon's novel "Vineland," the film retains little of the original plot.

The story centers on the confrontation between an anarchist terrorist group and the government, led by the obsessive officer Stephen Lockjaw (Sean Penn). After a failed operation, in which the protagonist, Pat Calhoun (a brilliant performance by Leonardo DiCaprio), loses his lover, he and his daughter go on the run and begin a new life, eluding the authorities for sixteen years. But one day, the past returns, and Calhoun is forced to protect himself and his daughter.

Let's take a look at the other major films nominated for Oscars this year.

Ryan Coogler's "The Sinners" is a fantasy vampire story set in a Southern Gothic setting. The plot centers on twin brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan), World War I veterans and former gangsters who, upon returning to their hometown, decide to open a black music bar. The brothers' project, in addition to racial issues and their criminal past, is hampered by... a vampire.

Frankenstein is a gothic drama directed by Guillermo del Toro, based on Mary Shelley's classic novel. The plot is the same: a young scientist, Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), creates a living creature (Andrew Garfield) from the tissue of corpses, but, frightened by his creation, disowns it. The rejected "child" begins to seek revenge on its creator, and this confrontation turns disastrous for both.

The film "Marty Magnificent" received perhaps the most extensive marketing campaign of any nominated film this season. Timothée Chalamet, who played the film's lead role, was the talk of the town, not only for his filmmaking achievements but also for his controversial statements and public activism. The film was considered an Oscar frontrunner, and Chalamet was tipped to win Best Actor—his performance impressed not only audiences but critics as well.

Josh Safdie's film is based on the life of American ping-pong player Marty Reisman, but it's not a true biopic. The story takes place in New York City in the early 1950s. Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) sells shoes, loves to play table tennis, and dreams of the high life, which he hasn't yet achieved. Desperate, he flees to London after robbing his boss to compete in an international tournament.

Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value" tells the classic story of fathers and sons, tweaked with a new ethic and through a fresh lens. The father is director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård), and the children are his two adult daughters, with whom Borg seeks to mend his relationship after the funerals of their mother and his ex-wife. To do so, Borg decides to make an autobiographical film about the disintegration of his family, a venture that exacerbates long-standing conflicts and forces everyone to rethink the past.

Chloé Zhao, who already won an Oscar for Nomadland, has directed Hamnet, a period drama that offers a new perspective on William Shakespeare, his family, and his legacy. The film centers not on Shakespeare himself, but on his wife, Agnes (Jessie Buckley). The plot revolves around the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet: while Agnes is consumed by grief, Shakespeare seeks solace in creativity and begins work on Hamlet.

The film "Bugonia" was directed by Greek Oscar nominee Yorgos Lanthimos, who reteams with his favorite actress, Emma Stone, for his new film. "Bugonia" is a psychological thriller based on the Korean film "Save the Green Planet!" The plot centers on Michelle Fuller (Stone), the CEO of a major company, who is kidnapped by fanatical beekeeper and conspiracy theorist Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons). Teddy believes Michelle is an alien sent to Earth to destroy humanity.

F1 is a sports drama directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt as former racing driver Sonny Hayes. Twenty years after the accident that derailed his career, Hayes, now living in a trailer and working odd jobs, returns to racing to mentor promising young rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris)—and get his revenge.

Kléber Mendonça's "Secret Agent" is a political thriller set during the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1970s. The plot centers on former professor Armando Solimões, who is persecuted by the authorities and gangsters. Against this backdrop, he attempts to reunite with his son and find documents about his family. Years later, the protagonist's now-adult son reconstructs these events.

Clint Bentley's "Train Dreams" is a drama about the life of an ordinary working man in 1930s America, based on Denis Johnson's novella of the same name. The plot centers on Robert Granier (Joel Edgerton), who works on the railroad, which means he rarely sees his family. The film's central conflict is the confrontation between the little man and the system.

Photo: still from the film "Battle after Battle"