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| Scene from The Report (2019) |
Things are starting to heat up for Adam Driver. Two days ago, he appeared in the trailer for Netflix's Marriage Story. Today he makes his appearance in one of Amazon Studios' biggest pushes for Oscar glory with The Report. Considering that he's coming off of an Oscar nomination for BlacKkKlansman, he may be looking at something unprecedented: a possible double nomination. Both of his Fall 2019 performances promise to be big pushes this season, and The Report's early buzz has argued that it's among his finest work. With the drama being a post-9/11 look at national security, it's going to be a buzzy topic and one that could electrify conversation. Thankfully the trailer already looks to have done all but solidify him as a force to be reckoned with this season.
For the most part, discussion of the War on Terror has been a difficult one to pin down at the Oscars. Even with 18 years removed, many filmmakers find trouble making films that are relevant and popular enough to transcend the Oscar conversation. In fact, the past decade has only had four films nominated for Best Picture: The Hurt Locker (which won), Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Zero Dark Thirty, and American Sniper. While the numbers are up from the previous and more immediate decade, it still feels dangerous to suggest that The Report is a shoo-in, if just because American films dealing with these topics tend to be hotly contested and are more notorious than beloved.
With that said, Driver has found himself in an exciting place in his career. With noteworthy appearances in the Star Wars franchise, he is going to be in three major movies this Fall season. He's coming off of an Oscar nomination, and his profile couldn't be higher. One would have to look at someone like Jennifer Lawrence in 2012 when she followed The Hunger Games with her Oscar-winning performance in Silver Linings Playbook to see a pattern like this. Driver has two performances vying for awards potential, and one can hope they both deliver. In just a short decade he's worked with many noteworthy filmmakers and left an impression of his potential. The Report, given early buzz, could cinch the Oscar narrative that many want for him since he's having a monumental year otherwise.
Check out the trailer below:
Looks very tense. Here's the plot description according to IMDb:
Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.
As mentioned earlier, it's a bit difficult to call this a lock given its controversial subject matter. While Zero Dark Thirty covered similar ground, it managed to be buried underneath scrutiny for either presenting a story falsely or that it painted a poor picture of America. On the flip side, Oliver Stone failed to gain any Oscar momentum for another C.I.A.-based story in Snowden, which was a bit too straightforward and underwhelming. The Report has a chance to escape this box, but the patterns don't reflect an encouraging outlook. One can only hope that in an age where politics are constantly under scrutiny that we're finally willing to listen to the hard topics and recognize their power.
It's going to be an exciting year for Driver, whose resume continues to fill up with exciting projects. This Fall season finds three major movies helping to raise his profile and make him a dominating force in the Oscar conversation early on. As a young talent who continues to prove himself, it would be wild to see him win on his second nomination, especially for a film with such tensity and power behind every moment. After all, Amazon lead Casey Affleck to a win with Manchester by the Sea a few years back. It's totally plausible that they could be doing the same thing this year provided they run their campaign correctly.
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