The 2023 Oscar nominations have landed, and surprises have popped up on both sides of the spectrum. Writer/director Sarah Polley seemed to have a feeling that her film Women Talking was going to fall totally by the wayside, but the movie ended up nabbing some huge recognition for the next round of Academy Award festivities.
Strangely enough, Polley’s expectations were so low that she actually scheduled a doctor’s appointment for the same morning her expectations were pleasantly subverted. Showing off the photo proof on Twitter, one of this year’s nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture was indeed convinced that her adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel was going to go unrecognized. That surprise led to this candid message of surprise:
Expectations were low for today. Here I am at a routine doctor’s appointment. I really didn’t plan this day right. pic.twitter.com/QLMNscY6WAJanuary 24, 2023
While the Academy Award nominations kick off very early for West Coasters, Sarah Polley looks like she's in her Canadian homeland, potentially putting her closer to the East Coast time zone, depending on which part of the country she’s in. Wherever Women Talking’s writer/director may be, it was early enough to make a doctor’s appointment that conflicted with the announcement of her picture’s high honors.
It’s a scenario that’s still rather bittersweet, as aspects of the film were still among the largest 2023 Oscar snubs seen this morning. More specifically, the lack of acting nominations for Women Talking’s impressive cast, as well as the lack of a nomination for Sarah Polley’s directing work, somewhat prove the point that she was making when planning her Tuesday morning.
Predictions heading into this year’s Oscars race definitely sided with this sort of outlook, as a terrible awards season for female directors is heading towards its endgame. At the same time, it is a happy upset to those predictions to see Sarah Polley land a nomination for her work adapting Women Talking’s source novel into its screenplay.
From this point forward, tracking the progress of Women Talking through its awards season journey straight through to the Oscars is bound to have more twists and turns. With nominations at the Screen Actors Guild and Independent Spirit Awards still in the balance, there’s plenty of awards glory that this much buzzed about film can still cash in on.
Continuing to inspire difficult, but vital social conversations, one can cross their fingers that Sarah Polley’s schedule won’t run into any other surprise difficulties when it comes to those potential victories. Women Talking is currently playing in theaters, and it could potentially expand in its release strategy in a post-nomination climate.
Meanwhile, the 95th Academy Awards will air on ABC at 8 PM ET on Sunday, March 12th. To get a jump on the competition for next year’s awards, you can head over to our schedule of 2023 new movie releases and start making way too early predictions for the next round ahead.
