Oscars 2021: Final Predictions In All 23 Categories
2. Best Director
Perhaps the most straightforward category of the lot, Chloé Zhao is running away with this award and rightfully so. Thomas Vinterburg slipped in here for Another Round, perhaps taking the slot of Aaron Sorkin or Regina King, his placement is deserved but he has no chance of pulling off an upset.
Lee Isaac Chung and Emerald Fennel have both done an amazing job on Minari and Promising Young Woman but their strengths reside more within their writing than their skill behind the camera.
David Fincher wouldn't actually be an undeserving winner in this category, Mank is a technical masterpiece albeit a boring one. If the film were stronger this would perhaps be a tighter race.
Instead, Zhao exquisitely captures the wide open spaces of America which merges beautifully with the stories of the real life nomads. Zhao will make history as the second woman to win Best Director and the first woman of Asian descent to do so. It is thoroughly deserved and will likely provide Zhao with the opportunity to do whatever she wants going forward.
What Should Win: Chloé Zhao
What Will Win: Chloé Zhao