Oscar-nominated films you must watch

STARRING Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps 
DIRECTED BY Paul Thomas Anderson
WHAT’S IT ABOUT Daniel Day-Lewis makes sure his swansong is one you’ll never forget. Set during post-war London, the film tells of the swirling romance between a distinguished dressmaker (Day-Lewis) and his muse (Krieps) which turns into a discomforting tale of obsession.

STARRING Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer
DIRECTED BY Luca Guadagnino
WHAT’S IT ABOUT This sun-drenched romantic offering explores a delicate first love when 17-year-old Elio (Chalamet) becomes infatuated by his father’s research assistant, Oliver (Hammer). Filmed ‘somewhere in northern Italy’, the story unfolds as their romantic relationship escalates over the course of summer break.

STARRING Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf
DIRECTED BY Greta Gerwig
WHAT’S IT ABOUT Growing up is tough. And in Greta Gerwig’s poignant solo directorial debut Lady Bird, the coming-of-age dramedy delves deep into the turbulence of female adolescence to focus on the heroine’s – played by Ronan – relationship with her best friend and her bittersweet struggle to connect with her mother (Metcalf).

STARRING Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones
DIRECTED BY Guillermo del Toro
WHAT’S IT ABOUT In a nutshell, the film’s about a mute woman (Hawkins) who falls in love with a fish-man or err humanoid amphibian (Jones). But del Toro’s emerald-tinted masterpiece and direction – coupled with Sally Hawkins performance as Eliza Esposito – takes your average sci-fi fantasy to the next level.

STARRING Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks
DIRECTED BY Steven Spielberg
WHAT’S IT ABOUT Inspired by true events, Steven Spielberg’s latest is a political drama that centres around the Washington Post’s case on releasing articles about the Pentagon Papers. Streep plays a fearless Katharine Graham, the paper’s determined publisher who teams up with editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) to bring down and expose the Nixon administration.