For our second Rundown article, we’ll look at a category where four features attempt to defeat a Best Picture nominee. After the jump, you’ll find our winner and runner-up predictions for Best Foreign Language Film as well as general commentary about the race. Tomorrow, we’ll cover the two short film fiction categories.

Best Foreign Language Film

Winner Predictions

• Amour (O) (O) (O)
• Kon-Tiki
• No
• A Royal Affair
• War Witch

Runner-Up Predictions

• A Royal Affair (WL O) (PP O) (TB O)

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Wesley Lovell: This is Amour‘s to lose. Typically, the film that is also a Best Picture nominee wins this award. I see little reason not to expect a win other than the fact that Amour is a very depressing film and the Academy seems to prefer its Foreign Language Oscar winners to be upbeat. The problem is that I really can’t imagine any of the others winning this, though I suspect A Royal Affair could be appreciated for its lush design work and dramatic nature.
Peter J. Patrick: Michael Haneke’s brilliant Amour will take this one easily. No other choice is possible, but for the sake of naming a runner-up, I’ll go with A Royal Affair.
Tripp Burton: Amour has five nominations, including Best Picture, and no Best Picture nominee has ever lost in this category (although not many films have picked up both nominations, so it is a small sample). Still, weird things have happened in this category, and there is always a chance that it will be upset here. If it is, look for praised period piece A Royal Affair or adventure piece Kon-Tiki to take the slot, though anything is possible.

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