Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We’re at the last of the three production-based categories, and I have to reaffirm that I am not an expert in the makeup and hairstyling departments. All I can do, however, is judge the nominees of this year’s Academy Awards based on how vital to the story the work in these two departments is, and how well they are handled (to me). I think originality and/or innovation also adds an extra layer of importance to me. In general, I think the five nominees are all varying degrees of strong, although I connected more with some nominees more than others. Some films were much more defined by the makeup and hairstyling than other nominees, and I will dip into my rankings without further delay. Here are your nominees.
Biggest Snub: Crimes of the Future-Alexa Anger and Evi Zafiropoulou
I said that the five finalized nominees are all good to great, but I still think that Crimes of the Future was conveniently slept on because it felt hip to do so. Was David Cronenberg’s latest feature his greatest? No, but it was still quite effective in some departments, and the makeup work should have been recognized (the prosthetics alone are horrifying). I feel like Cronenberg films in general have been underrepresented at the Academy Awards (this could have something to do with what that recent discussion about the critical ignorance surrounding horror films is all about?), but Crimes of the Future, as inchoate as it is, should at least be honoured for its insane work in this department.
5. All Quiet on the Western Front-Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová
As good as the makeup and hair work in All Quiet on the Western Front is, is it any better than your typical war film? Well, in general, I think that war epics do well in these kinds of awards shows, because of how many technical capabilities are needed in order for the films to do well, and they wind up being a flex. That’s no different than what we can see here, with the convincing war wounds, blood spillage, filthy hair, and other signs of war based damage and degradation. Don’t get me wrong: the effects and creativity here are good, but I feel like All Quiet on the Western Front was just picking up nominations every which way, and I do think that the other nominees here have it beat.
4. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever-Camille Friend and Joel Harlow
On one hand, the makeup is creative but likely the weakest of the five nominees (although there are some examples of where it looks pretty eye catching). But then you have the hairstyles, which are possibly the best of the category. Some of the intricate hairdos are to die for, and the reinterpretation of cultural styles are jaw dropping. It feels like each hairstyle tells its own story, and this adds so much to the characters that don them. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever may feel stronger in one department than the other, but it definitely does excel in the hair department.
3. Elvis-Mark Coulier, Jason Baird, and Aldo Signoretti
I feel like Elvis is a really good standard for both makeup and hair, and it accomplishes exactly what is needed throughout the majority of the film. When does it get the extra edge? When Elvis Presley is seen at his oldest in the film, of course. The work here is so convincing that it casts such an illusion for the little time that it is on screen. The second best work goes to turning Tom Hanks into Colonel Parker, even though the performance itself was quite polarizing (and the makeup enhanced either the believability or the cartoonish nature of Hanks’ acting, depending on which side of the fence you sit on).
2. The Batman-Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, and Mike Fontaine
Yeah, The Batman has quite a lot going on. The gothic makeup. The stylish hairdos. And then there’s The Penguin in all of his glory (Colin Farrell is next to unrecognizable under these prosthetics). The Batman fits in just nicely in this category, because it not only got the fundamentals down really well: it is extremely stylish to the point of character and world enhancement. The biggest indicator that I was in Gotham City was seeing how its most noteworthy inhabitants express themselves, and costumes only got them so far: the rest was the makeup and hair work on these characters that really sold me on this neo-noir, comic book thriller.
1. The Whale-Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Anne Marie Bradley
You can make the case that The Whale is exactly what I said about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (it definitely is stronger in the makeup department than in what it accomplishes with hair), but the prosthetics here are absolutely impossible to ignore. The body suit worn by Brendan Fraser is some of the most convincing prosthetics work I’ve seen in years. Furthermore, there are some positive things to say about the hair here: the unkemptness highlights the difficult lives of all of the characters here (outside of the one missionary that puts in the effort to present himself a little better than other folks here do). The Whale is all about the identifiable misery that we all share and the means to try and break out of this mindset, and the hair definitely plays a part in this theme. I am ranking The Whale first almost solely on its prosthetics, however, and I don’t think I need to say more (although the minimal, cosmetic makeup work also deserves a quick shoutout in the same way that the hairstyling does).
Who I want to win: Oof. Tough call. I do love what I saw in The Batman, but I’m pulling for The Whale first and foremost.
Who I think will win: Right now, I think The Whale is going to snag this award up for the innovating prosthetics work alone, especially since they are a catalyst to Brendan Fraser’s performance (if voters can’t separate the two categories, we could be seeing what happened with Jessica Chastain and the makeup/hair work for The Eyes of Tammy Faye last year: a twofer win).
Tune in tomorrow for our next Academy Award category! We’re reviewing every single nominee on every weekday.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.