Welcome to part three of our Oscar picks! Here’s part two in case you missed it: Oscars 2026 — Who Should Win? (Part Two)
Remember, these aren’t the movies that will win, these are the movies that should win. Here are our picks for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay…
Best Adapted Screenplay
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams
Bugonia
Hamnet
Frankenstein excels in acting and visuals, but the writing is its weakest link. The structure of the story is flawed from the start with the tale told primarily in flashbacks. Just when we start to get invested, we’re thrust back to the dull present with the narrator telling his life story to the captain of a ship. The strongest section is the one narrated by the Creature, but even that gets drowned out by the plot of the third act. This script desperately needs a page one rewrite.
Paul Thomas Anderson is a great writer, but One Battle After Another is one of his lesser scripts. This is an action movie first and foremost, and even the moments of character-driven dialogue feel more meandering than revealing. These weaknesses are overshadowed by Anderson’s masterful directing and an exceptional cast. But at the end of the day, this script is a fun ride with little to say.
Unlike Frankenstein and One Battle After Another, the writing is one of the best parts of Train Dreams. The script is a beautiful meditation on an ordinary life with long stretches of poetic dialogue that pair perfectly with the film’s gorgeous cinematography. The spoken reflections on nature stand out the most, set against a forest setting so rich and crisp you feel like you can reach out and touch it. Unfortunately, an entirely pointless voice-over and a one-note tone that devolves into monotony hold the script back from true greatness.
Yorgos Lanthimos has been hit or miss over the years, but a strong script helps. Bugonia is a very strong script. The writing is tight and focused, but full of surprises. The dialogue is layered and darkly comedic. The interactions between Teddy and Michelle stand out the most, as Teddy rattles off his conspiracy theories as if they’re the most normal thing in the world and Michelle grows increasingly incredulous at the mess she’s found herself in. The acting is impeccable, but their words are just as compelling. And writer Will Tracy has an ending up his sleeve that brings it all home.
Hamnet is the best movie of 2025 because every element is honed to perfection. The script is no exception. Almost every scene has a memorable moment and line. Agnes describing why she wants to marry William: “He loves me for what I am, not what I ought to be.” Mary talking about losing her children: “What is given may be taken away at any time.” Agnes delivering a devastating blow to William in the aftermath of their tragedy: “He died in agony and you weren’t here.” Even Shakespeare’s actual words from his plays find new resonance as they’re woven into the script. I felt like I understood “To be or not to be” for the first time as William says it while contemplating suicide. It’s fitting for a movie about a great writer to be filled with great writing. Shakespeare would be proud.
Best Original Screenplay
Blue Moon
Sinners
Marty Supreme
It Was Just an Accident
Sentimental Value
Do great words equal great writing if they’re arranged in a way that sounds unnatural and forced? That’s the predicament of Blue Moon. On the surface, there’s a lot to love. Ethan Hawke’s Lorenz Hart waxes poetic for 100 minutes on life, love, and art. He says many profound things. But I don’t think any actor in the world could make that dialogue sound authentic. This is a script filled with never-ending monologues and very few pauses. The words go on ad nauseam, diluting whatever impact the ideas behind them could have had. I get that Hart was a talker, but sometimes less is more.
Sinners touches on deep themes like racism, alcoholism, and economic disparity. The characters are fleshed out and interesting. The plot twists and turns in surprising ways. But at the end of the day, this is still a vampire movie. There are actual lines about how to kill vampires with stakes and garlic. Buckets of gore abound. It’s the most artistic version of a vampire movie we could have hoped for, and the Oscar nomination is well-deserved. But there’s just enough goofiness to keep it from being the frontrunner.
Marty Supreme provides an interesting contrast with Blue Moon. Marty is always talking too, but never rambling. Marty is full of himself too, but never boring. It’s the difference between monologuing and performing. Marty is a performer. His words are carefully calibrated for maximum impact. Even when he’s being crude, like the shocking line about his Jewish ping-pong opponent that made the audience I was with laugh uncomfortably: “I’m gonna do to him what Auschwitz couldn’t.” Marty Supreme is filled with lines like that, where we can’t believe what we just heard. This is a razor-sharp script filled with unforgettable characters and moments. Easily one of the best of the year.
The best part about It Was Just an Accident is the way the story unfolds, especially if you go in cold. All I knew was the title. So when the opening scene showed a family driving, I figured an accident was coming. I was right, but then the movie becomes so much more. Is revenge ever justified? It’s an age-old question explored in many films, but never told this subtly or effectively. They say you should write what you know. Writer Jafar Panahi is doing just that, having been imprisoned and tortured by the same Iranian regime explored in the film. Panhai presents both perspectives on the question of revenge without siding with either. One character advocates for mercy saying “There’s no need to dig their graves. They’ve done that for themselves.” Another advocates retribution saying “Those sons of bitches stole the best years of my life.” We don’t see what the victims went through, but we hear their retellings. The words prove more effective than any visuals could. And the ending is a haunting punch in the gut that I’ll never forget.
Sentimental Value is a movie within a movie and a script within a script. We see the power that great writing has on the main characters, all told within one of the best scripts of the year. The characters are fascinating in their contradictions, and the themes explored are rich and relatable. Everyone in the movie is looking for a home. Aren’t we all? I’ll let Gustav’s fictional script speak to the Oscar-worthy writing on display here. In this scene, Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) is rehearsing a scene which ties back to Gustav’s own trauma and one of the central themes of the film:
“You know, I don’t believe in God at all. We came from a home where all that was irrelevant. We weren’t baptised. My sister and I had a civil confirmation just for the money. Then I had this kind of crisis. I was alone in the house again, lying in bed, crying. I know everyone lies in bed crying at some point, but… Someone said praying isn’t really talking to God. It’s acknowledging despair. To throw yourself on the ground because that’s all you can do. Not unlike heartbreak: “Call me. Please change your mind.” “Take me back.” There I was. I’d ruined everything. I was alone, lying there, crying. And then, for the first time, I sat down and prayed. It’s hard to explain. I don’t know who I prayed to, but I said it out loud: “Help me. I can’t do this. I can’t do it alone. I want a home.”
To Be Continued…
Check back next week for part three of our Oscar coverage as we pick Best Director and Best Picture!
