Flowchart: Which Oscar movie should you watch?

This year’s Oscar winners have been announced. In addition to Michelle Yeoh making history as the first Asian star to win Best Actress, Everything Everywhere All At Once swept this year’s Academy Awards with seven wins. Two of those went to Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis for their supporting roles, and another to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Best Director. Notably, Brendan Fraser made a triumphant return to the limelight, winning Best Actor for The Whale. For many people, this is their cue to start catching up on some of the best movies of the previous year.

Not sure where to start? We’ve put together synopses of the most prominent nominees, with tips on other movies that share similar themes or vibes. Or use our flowcharts to decide which of this year’s nominees and past years’ Best Picture winners to stream. 

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Flowchart: Which 2023 Oscar nominee should you stream?
What are the 2023 Oscar-nominated movies about?
Flowchart: Which past Oscar Best Picture winner should you stream?

Flowchart: Which 2023 Oscar nominee should you stream?

Prefer to watch an old Oscar movie? Jump down to our other flowchart to help you choose a past Best Picture winner to stream!

What are the 2023 Oscar-nominated movies about?

All Quiet on the Western Front

[Winner: Best International Feature Film; Best Music (Original Score); Best Cinematography; Best Production Design] 

A remake of the 1930 Best Picture winner and adapted from a novel of the same name, All Quiet on the Western Front follows the harrowing experience of young German soldier Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) as he fights for survival during World War I. Directed by Edward Berger.

Watch this if you liked: The Thin Red Line, 1917

Avatar: The Way of Water

[Winner: Best Visual Effects] 

In the sequel to 2009’s Avatar, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is chief of the Omatikaya clan and raising children with Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). Under threat, they relocate and integrate into a seaside clan. Directed by James Cameron.

Watch this if you liked: Avatar, FernGully: The Last Rainforest

Babylon

If La La Land shows a romanticized view of the film industry, Babylon displays the ugly side. With an all-star ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, the film chronicles the rise and fall of multiple characters in the early years of Hollywood. Directed by Damien Chazelle.

Watch this if you liked: Boogie Nights, The Wolf of Wall Street, Barton Fink

The Banshees of Inisherin

Starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, this film set in 1920s Ireland is about two best friends who reach an impasse when one of them decides he no longer wants to be friends with the other. Directed by Martin McDonagh.

Watch this if you liked: Waking Ned Devine, In Bruge, The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 

[Winner: Best Costume Design]

Following the death of King T’Challa, his grieving mother (Angela Bassett) and sister (Letitia Wright) must continue to fight for their kingdom’s survival while defending it against a new enemy. Directed by Ryan Coogler.

Watch this if you liked: Black Panther, Blade

Elvis

This biopic about Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) is told from the perspective of his manager (Tom Hanks) and follows the life of the King from his childhood in Mississippi to his stardom amid social movements of the 1960s and his final years, when he strove to be remembered. Directed by Baz Luhrmann.

Watch this if you liked: Walk the Line, Ray

Everything Everywhere All at Once 

[Winner: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Actress; Best Supporting Actor; Best Supporting Actress; Best Writing (Original Screenplay); Best Film Editing]

A laundromat owner (Michelle Yeoh) discovers that she must save the multiverse by connecting with alternate versions of herself from parallel dimensions, all while reconnecting with her husband (Ke Huy Quan) and daughter (Stephanie Hsu). Directed by The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert).

Watch this if you liked: Swiss Army Man, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Shang-Chi

The Fabelmans

Loosely based on the adolescent experiences of director Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans follows aspiring teenage filmmaker Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) as he faces competing expectations from his parents.

Watch this if you liked: Lady Bird, The Squid and the Whale

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

A tech mogul (Edward Norton) hosts his inner circle—along with famed detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig)—on a private island to solve a murder mystery. The secrets of the guests begin to spill… Directed by Rian Johnson.

Watch this if you liked: Clue, Murder on the Orient Express

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 

[Winner: Best Animated Feature Film]

As we could expect from Guillermo del Toro, this stop-motion animated film brings darkness and fantasy to the well-known story of a wooden puppet (voiced by Gregory Mann) who comes to life as the son of his maker, Geppetto (David Bradley). Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Watch this if you liked: Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings 

Tár

In this psychological thriller, a composer and conductor (Cate Blanchett) at the top of her game becomes embroiled in scandal. She spirals as she begins hearing strange sounds and having nightmares. Directed by Todd Field.

Watch this if you liked: Black Swan, The Wrestler 

Top Gun: Maverick 

[Winner: Best Sound]

Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprise their roles from 1986’s Top Gun, with Maverick struggling in a relatively lowly position of test pilot while Iceman has risen to fleet commander. Directed by Joseph Kosinski.

Watch this if you liked: Behind Enemy Lines, Dunkirk

Triangle of Sadness

This satirical black comedy follows the trials of the wealthy passengers of a luxury yacht and the crew that must cater to their whims. A violent storm is only the first of the calamities that test the class divisions onboard. Directed by Ruben Östlund.

Watch this if you liked: The Square, The Worst Person in the World

The Whale

[Winner: Best Actor; Best Makeup and Hairstyling]

Brendan Fraser plays a reclusive and severely obese writing teacher who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink). Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

Watch this if you liked: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Farewell, Aftersun

Women Talking

[Winner: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)]

Based on true events, Women Talking explores what eight women of an isolated religious colony in Bolivia decide to do when they discover that the men in their community have been drugging and raping the women. Starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley. Directed by Sarah Polley.

Watch this if you liked: Room, Witness, The Piano

Flowchart: Which Oscar Best Picture winner should you stream?

You might be in a more nostalgic mood and want to watch a past winner instead. Allow us to suggest one with another flowchart.