The final round of Oscar voting began last week. As we speak, thousands of Academy members are getting down to the important business of choosing who will win and who will lose come the ceremony next month. As ever, their decisions are likely to be swayed by the never-ending swirl of smaller awards ceremonies that have taken place over recent weeks, which means that many of the categories are essentially foregone conclusions at this point. Oppenheimer will probably win best picture. Robert Downey Jr is the surest best supporting actor winner for decades. Barbie will have a disappointing night, and all the worst people you follow on Instagram will make an almighty fuss of it.
But there is one category that is still up for grabs. The best actress award is still very much a two-horse race. Lily Gladstone not only ripped the focus of Killers of the Flower Moon away from some of the most famous actors on the planet, but her win would also be truly historic; a breakthrough for onscreen Native American representation that would single-handedly help to undo years and years of lazy, two-dimensional cinematic depictions. And then there is Emma Stone. Stone wants you to know that she ate a lot of cakes.
