Wild Horse Nine Stuns Venice as Fall's First Oscar Contender — SkimNews
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- Wild Horse Nine premiered at Venice with standing ovations even at press screenings, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA agents on a mission to Easter Island during Chile's 1973 coup; the first question at the film's press conference essentially asked Malkovich how it felt to be destined for an Oscar.
- John Malkovich is positioned for his first Academy Award after two prior nominations, with his last nod coming more than 30 years ago — before 'Being John Malkovich' made him an icon — and faces a Best Actor field crowded with other never-winners including Ryan Gosling, Matt Damon, and Tom Cruise.
- Director Martin McDonagh brings strong Oscar pedigree: his last two films both earned Best Picture nominations, and he has three previous Original Screenplay nods for 'In Bruges,' 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,' and 'The Banshees of Inisherin' — with the latter two losing to 'Get Out' and 'Everything Everywhere All at Once.'
- Sam Rockwell appears headed for Best Supporting Actor contention despite the film being a two-hander, following the precedent of 'The Banshees of Inisherin,' which scored nominations for both co-leads Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan.
- Below-the-line prospects include cinematographer Ben Davis, who shot only the second film ever on Easter Island and earned a special shoutout at the Venice press conference, plus potential editing, score, and Supporting Actress bids for Mariana Di Girólamo, Ailín Salas, or Parker Posey.
- McDonagh told reporters the film carries 'tentacles and connections' to present-day geopolitics despite being set in 1973, saying 'it wasn't necessarily deliberate' but inviting audiences to draw their own parallels.
Why it matters: In a Best Actor race stacked with never-winners (Gosling, Damon, Cruise), Malkovich's 30-plus-year overdue narrative combined with McDonagh's screenplay track record gives 'Wild Horse Nine' a genuine multi-category path. McDonagh has lost three Original Screenplay bids to buzzy dark-comedies like 'Get Out' and 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' — and this fall, his film faces limited competition in that category outside of foreign-language entries.
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