Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ranking Every 96th Academy Award Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
This article is a part of the Academy Awards Project, where Andreas Babiolakis from Films Fatale ranks every Oscar nominee from worst to best, and goes through every category once a day five days a week.
Of the three design-based categories, Best Makeup and Hairstyling is my least favourite. Not because I don’t value the work that goes into these films (far from it: I think great makeup effects and hair designing have led to some of the most fascinating artistic achievements in films like The Elephant Man). Rather, I think this category has become susceptible to nominating awful films that I don’t care to watch otherwise (even though Suicide Squad deserved its win, I never want to see that septic tank of a film ever again). Mercifully, only one of the following films is an outright bad one, so we’ve been blessed this year (we could have had more, considering The Last Voyage of the Demeter was shortlisted for this very award). Additionally, this was the last category to go from three to five nominations, so the door is even wider open for bad films to get in (hence the one I’ll have to address shortly). Let’s try to focus on the good, shall we? What am I looking for here? It’s easy to focus on what films aged, de-aged, or roughed up their stars the best, which sci-fi, horror, or fantasy works had the best creature designs, or what films just knew how to use eyeshadow palettes and foundation well. We can’t forget about the second portion of this category: the hairstyling. Which films also boasted some great hairdos, or accurately aged the hair alongside the prosthetic wrinkles that have been applied?
Here are your nominees for Best Makeup and Hairstyling ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: Beau is Afraid
I figured Beau is Afraid would have been a lock, given how the titular character is battered and bruised — quite realistically, too — for most of the film. Then, there’s the aging that star Joaquin Phoenix goes through that makes him look younger at times, and ancient at others. There’s a lot going on with other characters as well, just adding to the very point I’m trying to make: how was this film not nominated in this department? I think that’s what frustrates me the most about the brutal films being nominated in this category: stronger films, sometimes with even better makeup and hair work, don’t get acknowledged. Oh well.
5. Golda-Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby, and Ashra Kelly-Blue
Golda is quite a bad film, so you’d think the makeup and hairstyling would have to be impeccable in order for it to be recognized here (again, at least Suicide Squad kicked ass in this department, if not anything else). Sadly, that is not the case. Sure, Helen Mirren transforms into Golda Meir, but there are times where the makeup is a little too obvious, when her cheeks sag far enough to feel artificial, or her wrinkles and blemishes shift from scene to scene. At a first glance, Golda has fantastic makeup work. Look a little closer (which I’d advise for voters to do before selecting their winner), and you’ll find the inconsistencies here that should have been enough to nullify one of 2023’s most lifeless films from being nominated in any capacity.
4. Oppenheimer-Luisa Abel
When Oppenheimer flaunts its makeup and hairstyling, it’s for brief periods of time, usually; J. Robert and Kitty Oppenheimer in their old age towards the end of the film, the artistic cut to a woman full of burns from nuclear bombing, et cetera. There’s also not too much going on in terms of hairstyling that stands out. Having said that, Oppenheimer’s makeup and hairstyling mastery is subtle but there, as actors are made to be younger towards the start of the film and they naturally age without being too obvious. Oppenheimer may be the quietest nominee of the five, given how much harder it is to pinpoint key examples of why this film should be nominated, but I’d make the case that it deserves to be here.
3. Maestro-Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell
If Oppenheimer was more subtle about its aging effects, then Maestro gets the edge by default because of its convincing designs and execution. Sure, Maestro gets a few points deducted for when it gets a little too carried away with Leonard Bernstein’s nose and chin (fortunately, the most infamous portions of the film are also the shortest), but it is quite a strong film overall in this category. What else gives Maestro a bit of a lead over Oppenheimer? Firstly, the shift Bradley Cooper experiences as he transforms into Bernstein (again, outside of the couple of sequences when the makeup goes overboard). Secondly, the fancy hairdos that parade around the film cannot be ignored in this category (and, if anything, they’ll likely act as Exhibit B for when this film wins the Oscar).
2. Society of the Snow-Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé
Society of the Snow should not go overlooked in this category. Consider how many suffering survivors of the central plane crash are in the film, and how convincing they look throughout, well, pretty much the entire feature. Don’t forget about the believable frost, dead hair, and off-coloured skin that is present throughout Society of the Snow, as we watch a group of passengers struggling to keep going. Finally, the cherry on top: any instance of injury or survival-based gore that is present (and how disturbingly real these moments feel). No question about it. Society of the Snow can comfortably sit in this category.
1. Poor Things-Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston
Once again, Poor Things is a winner in my books (it swept all three design-based categories for me). Firstly, look at Willem Dafoe. Just. Look at him. That makeup work is insane. Even though it’s clearly artificial, it is believable enough to feel uncanny and unsettling. Is this enough to take first place, though? No. It isn’t. Enter the incredible hairstyling designs, like Bella Baxter’s insanely long hair, or the hairdos that perfectly fit every single character that sports them. Even the conventional makeup feels striking in this film, as we observe what is considered beautiful in a reality we’ll never be able to visit or experience. This is a great portfolio of what the spectrum for this category looks like: Poor Things boasts numerous astounding achievements regarding makeup and hairstyling, in my opinion.
Who I Want To Win: Let’s go with Poor Things. I’m zeroing in on one film this time around because of how much I love the concepts and execution within this film.
Who I Think Will Win: Right now, I feel like Maestro may win only one Oscar, and it could be for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Having said that, Poor Things can also claim this category, so I wouldn’t ignore it all that much. I’d keep a close eye on both of these films during the remainder of the award season race.
The Academy Awards Project will continue on Monday with another category. We’re going to rank every single nominee in every single category, Monday through Friday. You don’t want to miss it!
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson 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.