Gentle Monster – Cr. Frédéric Pattier/Netflix ©2026
Netflix did very well last year when awards season came around. The company had two technical heavy hitters Demon hunters in kpop and Frankenstein. Who would have thought that two of the top award contenders would be pure genre films, an animated musical about fighting monsters and retelling an iconic monster tale?
Unfortunately, Netflix doesn’t have any films with a supernatural backbone this year, but it does have a variety of dramas with awards juice.
At the Toronto International Film Festival — an exhilarating 10-day festival filled with films and eager cinephiles, albeit a few odd ducks as well — the streamer made its debut and showcased several dramas with awards season potential. La Pola Negra, inkand Potential lovebut not limited to, will continue to receive due recognition over the next few months.
Gentle Monster Star Léa Seydoux for Best Actress
Gentle monster It is a polarizing film. Given its sensitive subject matter, this makes sense. It’s an appropriately difficult drama from Mary Kreutzer. It’s rough around the edges, often in an appropriate way, and sometimes in a way that leaves you wanting more from its supporting characters and themes. But the movie, Rende Jones wrote Review it“anchored by Léa Seydoux’s vivid and visceral performance, reminding audiences of her immense potential.” There’s a lot of combustion beneath the surface of the Seadoo’s performance, even when it’s stationary. It’s one of those shows where the audience buys everything the actor does and says.
In waves for the best motion picture
In waves It will receive a theatrical release to compete for awards. Don’t miss it on the big screen. On a small screen, its emotional resonance would still be intact, but the vibrant animation and rich characters in this drama about love, loss, and surfing are better served on a screen as big as its character-driven waves. From the director Phuong My Nguyenbased on AG DongoAn autobiographical graphic novel, “The Humanity of the Story Feels Too Fresh and Unsanitized for Animation” by Ryan Gore Books from Annecy. “In waves It could inspire a tsunami of artists to go this step further.
Winner Alwyn H. Kushler for Best Cinematography
Movie lovers can always count on a delightful visual experience from the filmmaker Danny Boyle And the cinematographer Alwyn H. Kushler. They gave us Steve Jobs, sunriseAnd now, ink. It’s another fast-moving, visually engaging — almost manic, really — take on Rupert Murdoch’s world The sun. There’s nothing quite like the images Boyle and Kushler put together, especially at the ferocious pace at which they do it. Hopefully, Küchler will receive his long-awaited first Oscar nomination ink.
La bola negra for Best Picture
The consensus in Toronto was unanimous: La Pola Negra It’s Netflix’s best shot yet at winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. the Streamer It has yet to reach that big-screen golden statue, though there are a few films that deserve it. Here he looks at you, Irish. La Pola Negrafrom the film makers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrosiwon the Audience Award at TIFF. Then again, so did Mike Flanagan Chuck’s lifewhich didn’t get its due when awards season came around. but La Pola Negra It left too many people too impressed and stunned to become the favorite in the Best Picture race.
On behalf of my son, the star Regan Faria
A similar conversation was created around it Regan Fariaperformance in On behalf of my son. With sound, the viewer has to be rock solid to feel nothing about his work Gabriel Martinez“A film about grief. Faria’s performance will likely continue to connect with audiences and reward voters over the next few months. No one was impressed by her work in the film.
Possible love for everything
Potential love It will also likely receive a nomination for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards. that it Tremendous movie. All the emotions seem real in the director Lee Chang DongAn epic drama spanning nearly three immersive hours. It’s an epic so intimate that you sometimes feel like you’re eavesdropping on your neighbors, seeing their whole lives. The juxtaposition shown here, from the performances to the cinematography to the production design, is remarkable. Actress Jeon Do-yeon Awards events should never be left empty-handed. It’s a quiet but huge performance. Even her smallest gestures tell a complex story.