15 Oscar-nominated movies you can stream right now
From spectacular biopics to heart-wrenching love stories
As the countdown to the 96th Academy Awards, aka the Oscars, begins, cinephiles around the world are catching up on this year’s nominations before the ceremony takes place on March 11. In the run-up to Oscars 2024, several streaming platforms have made this year’s nominated films available for viewing online. Though, we’re still awaiting the release of the highly anticipated documentary To Kill a Tiger (Netflix has already bought the rights), which is directed by Indian-origin Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahuja. Nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category, this account of a 13-year-old survivor of sexual assault in Jharkhand, and her father’s relentless pursuit of justice, is a hard-hitting story of courage and resilience.
In the meanwhile, there’s no shortage of Oscar-nominated movies available for immediate viewing. From compelling dramas and stellar performances to thought-provoking documentaries, there’s something to satisfy every kind of cinephile. Whether you’re in the mood for heart-wrenching tales of lost love and missed connections, or uplifting real-life stories of triumph, this year’s more-diverse-than-usual Oscar nominees (diversity was up 4% from last year, as per reports) offer a variety of cinematic treats. And if you want to skip the hype and stream Cocaine Bear-esque showdowns instead, we got you covered.
So, grab some aloo bhujjia, settle in, and catch up on the best of this year’s Oscar-nominated movies before awards night (or early morning for Indian viewers).
Where to watch this year’s Oscar-nominated movies online
Oppenheimer
Dominating the Oscars 2024 leaderboard with a total of 13 nominations, including for Best Picture and Best Director, is Christopher Nolan’s monumental biopic, Oppenheimer. Cillian Murphy’s stunning portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the renowned American physicist responsible for developing the atomic bomb during World War II, makes him a tough contender in the Best Actor category. The film chronicles Oppenheimer’s impactful career, and benefits from the iconic collaboration between Murphy and Nolan. The duo deftly explore the moral conflicts that arose from the scientific discovery that forever altered the world as we know it.
Watch it online on Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, JioCinema, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV and Apple TV.
Barbie
What happens when the most popular doll in Barbie Land has an existential crisis and goes on a journey to the human world? The answer lies in the cultural phenomenon that is Greta Gerwig’s fantastical feature, Barbie, which struck a chord with millions of viewers globally. Margot Robbie’s stellar performance as the first-ever live-action Barbie finds a fine co-performer in Ryan Gosling’s memorable turn as Ken. The movie scored a total of eight nominations across the board (though Greta stans are still sore at the Best Director snub), including in the Best Song category for I’m Just Ken, which Gosling is set to perform live at the Oscars. Through a combination of clever satire, poignant monologues and fantastic styling, we get a film that will go down in history for its impact on the zeitgeist.
Watch it online on JioCinema, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and Google Play Movies & TV.
Killers of the Flower Moon
This gripping Western crime drama, directed by Martin Scorsese, is based on David Grann’s non-fiction novel of the same name. Set in 1920s Oklahoma, the three-and-a-half-hour-long epic uncovers the chilling real-life murders that targeted members of the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on their land. Nominated for 10 Oscars, including a historic one for Lily Gladstone, the first Native American Best Actress nominee, the movie follows Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), a World War I veteran who marries Mollie Kyle (Gladstone), an Osage woman for her valuable oil rights. Ernest soon becomes entangled in a sinister scheme to eliminate the wealthy Osage for their oil. The film delves into the intricate dynamics between the Osage people and white settlers, shedding light on the unsettling, greed-fuelled murders of that era.
Watch it online on Apple TV.
Past Lives
Nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, Past Lives, directed by Celine Song, tenderly explores the various phases of a relationship through the lives of Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). A Korean-Canadian playwright, Nora reconnects with her childhood sweetheart, Hae Sung, after a twelve-year separation.
As the two navigate their renewed connection through long-distance Skype calls, and an eventual face-to-face interaction, they confront the complexities of their shared memories and divergent life paths. Song’s mature directorial debut feature traces the innocence of youthful infatuation, the subtle nuances of human relationships and the hidden hand of destiny. Both a tender love story and a unique immigrant perspective, the layered drama wins audiences through its poignant silences and acute observations.
Watch it online on Lionsgate Play via Prime Video.
Maestro
Bradley Cooper’s sophomore feature earned seven Oscar nominations (including three for Cooper), despite some criticism of his choice of using a prosthetic nose to depict the legendary music composer, Leonard Bernstein. The stirring biopic, which essentially chronicles the marriage between Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre, is built on incredible performances. This intimate portrayal of a marriage examines Montealegre’s impact on Bernstein’s creative legacy, and their collective highs and lows.
Cooper’s method approach towards embodying the role of the late composer might come off as a bit extreme (he took six years to learn how to compose six minutes of music). Especially after a recent clip of the actor’s teary-eyed confession of “missing” the late composer— despite never meeting him in real life—during an interview with Bernstein’s children went viral.
Watch it online on Netflix.
American Fiction
Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut snagged five Oscar nominations this year, including one for Best Picture. Adapted from Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure, the film revolves around a disillusioned novelist-professor (Jeffrey Wright). He pens a wildly satirical take on stereotypical “Black books”, and fills it with literary cliché and stereotypes. To his astonishment, the liberal elite misconstrues it as serious literature. The novel achieves both commercial success and critical acclaim, setting off a chain of uproarious and unexpected events.
Amidst the laughter, the film delivers a poignant critique of society’s entrenched racism and the industry’s loaded expectations of African American artists.
Watch it online on Amazon Prime Video.
Poor Things
Willem Dafoe as a mad scientist who has his own Dr Frankenstein moment? Sign us up. An adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel of the same name, this off-kilter comedy tracks the evolution of Victoria Blessington as she attempts to take her life, only to be saved by the brilliant but unconventional scientist Dr Godwin Baxter (Dafoe). He brings her back to life, replacing her brain with that of a foetus. Reborn and rechristened Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), the movie progresses into an allegorical exploration of womanhood, identity and bodily autonomy.
Yorgos Lanthimos’s second collaboration with Stone after The Favourite, bagged the second-highest number of Oscar nominations this year (11), after Oppenheimer. Mark Ruffalo playing moustachioed scalawag Duncan Wedderburn sweetens the deal.
Watch it online on Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV and YouTube.
Nyad
This remarkable true story of swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Benning) isn’t just about an incredible physical feat, but is also a stirring testament to tenacity, friendship and resilience. What would you say if someone asked you to undertake the ‘Mount Everest’ of swims? Nyad took it on at the age of 60, after an unsuccessful attempt at completing the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida 30 years prior.
Accompanying her on this journey to achieve her lifelong dream is Nyad’s coach and best friend, Bonnie (Jodie Foster). Both women picked up Best Actress Oscar nominations for their performances, in both lead and supporting categories.
Watch it online on Netflix.
Elemental
Would the Best Animated Feature category be complete without a Disney-Pixar creation? Elemental is this year’s tear-jerker from the iconic studio that won audiences of all ages through its sensitive exploration of themes like cultural diversity and acceptance. The film transports us to Element City, where each resident represents one of five elements—earth, wind, fire and water—and everyone coexists peacefully. That is, until, Ember Lumen, a fiery young lady, befriends Wade Ripple, and their familiar tale of friendship-turned-forbidden-romance (they represent fire and water elements), melts the hardest of hearts, as is the case with most cross-cultural love stories.
Watch it online on Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV and Apple TV.
Nimona
Competing with Elemental for the Best Animated Feature trophy is Nimona, based on a 2015 graphic novel by ND Stevenson. The film takes place in a medieval-futuristic realm where celebrated knight Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is wrongfully accused of a crime. Faced with this sudden injustice he is forced to go on the run, until he encounters Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a feisty shapeshifter with an affinity for chaos. Nimona offers to become Ballister’s sidekick and join his quest to prove his innocence, thinking him to be an outcast like herself. But then, Nimona is also the kind of monster that Ballister is meant to hunt.
Watch it online on Netflix.
Napoleon
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon picked up nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, but let’s be honest, we’d watch it just for Joaquin Phoenix. This film offers a unique perspective on French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s (Phoenix) meteoric ascent to power, with a particular focus on his tumultuous relationship with his wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).
Spanning key moments in Napoleon’s adult life, from the aftermath of the French Revolution to the fateful battle of Waterloo, the biopic offers both a grand spectacle and an intimate character study. While there has been some criticism of the film’s lack of historical depth and nuance, the meticulous attention to production design and magnificent battle sequences make it a captivating watch.
Watch it online on Apple TV and Google Play Movies & TV.
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Nominated for Best Documentary Feature, the film chronicles the courageous life and political journey of Bobi Wine, Ugandan opposition leader, activist and widely popular musician. Raised in the slums of Kampala, Wine emerged as a prominent critic of the authoritarian regime led by President Yoweri Museveni, which has held power since 1986.
The documentary focuses on Bobi Wine’s tireless endeavour to challenge Museveni’s autocratic leadership through his music and activism. While doing so, he endures grave dangers in the form of military detention, torture and threats to his life and the safety of his supporters. Bobi Wine—whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu—says life in his country today isn’t very different from what we see in the film. But he hopes that international attention from the documentary will lead to change.
Watch it online on Disney+ Hotstar.
The After
This short film is a poignant tale of mourning and a father’s grief. Dayo (David Oyelowo) is an executive based in London, and a family man. One day, in a brutal, public act of violence, he loses his child and wife. Dayo tries to pick up the pieces of his life and takes up the job of a rideshare driver to limit his interactions with other people. But when a family of three gets into the passenger seat of his cab, Dayo is forced to confront his bottled-up emotions and finally grieve. Despite being under 20 minutes long, this is one of the most powerful films you will see this year.
Watch it online on Netflix.
The Last Repair Shop
The Last Repair Shop is a lovely documentary spotlighting the unique musical instrument repair facility operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) since 1959. This shop is the sole remaining establishment of its kind, responsible for maintaining the upkeep of over 80,000 instruments, which are used by schoolchildren throughout Los Angeles. The documentary profiles four seasoned artisans who work here, each specialising in a distinct instrument category (woodwinds, brass, strings, and piano). Their personal journeys, and those of the students who visit this unique space, are a testament to how music can serve as a catalyst for healing.
Watch it online on Disney+ Hotstar.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a bored and wealthy man who stumbles upon a manuscript that details the meditation techniques of an Indian yogi who can see through closed eyelids. Intrigued and fascinated, Sugar embarks on a quest to master this feat himself, and as he builds upon this newfound skill, a series of events leads to him finding a deeper purpose in life. Directed by Wes Anderson and based on Roald Dahl’s short story, the film earned a Best Short Film—Live Action nomination this year. It’s worth watching for its exceptional ensemble cast, including Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley and Dev Patel.
Watch it online on Netflix.
