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On March 15, the 98th Academy Awards ceremony will recognize excellence in the film industry, highlighting incredible stories from around the world. If any of this year’s films left you wanting to dig deeper, Loyola has you covered.
Explore these activities and classes at Loyola to more deeply explore the themes, history, and ideas behind this year’s biggest Oscars contenders:
One Battle After Another, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Nominated for 13 Oscars, the political action thriller One Battle After Another tells the story of a former revolutionary and the political conflicts that follow him.
PLSC 359 Revolutions examines the different theories of revolution and analyzes the causes and consequences of modern political movements. PLSC 328 Political Behavior explores factors that shape public attitudes and political participation.
Also nominated for Best Cinematography, One Battle After Another has received critical acclaim for its production. Fans can explore courses like COMM 232 Cinematography I to learn about aesthetics principles, cameras, and cinema production.
Marty Supreme, dir. Josh Safdie
Starring Timothée Chalamet as an ambitious ping pong player, Marty Supreme is nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor. Fans interested in the sport can hone their skills at the ping pong table in Ireland’s pub in the Damen Student Center and keep an eye out for tournaments or game nights through Campus Recreation.
See what drove Marty’s determination with SPRT 320 Social Aspects of Sports Management. The class analyzes the impact and influence of sports on society, explores controversies, and studies the relevance of sports in modern America.
Sinners, dir. Ryan Coogler
Following twin brothers as they fight vampires at their juke joint in 1930s Mississippi, Sinners is up for a record-breaking 16 Academy Awards this weekend.
Interested in the music featured in the film? Expand your knowledge of Blues music and perform live with MUSC 104 Gospel Choir.
Want to explore the film’s historical context? ENGL 282C African American Literature since 1900, a Tier 2 Literary Knowledge course, explores African American literary history from 1900 to present day, and MUSC 161 Music in United States offers a guided listening experience of the evolution of music throughout U.S. history.
Train Dreams, dir. Clint Bentley
Set in the woods of Idaho in the 1910s through the 1960s, Train Dreams follows a logger navigating the changing world around him.
Grow in your knowledge of land and resource use with ENVS 311 Natural Resources and Land Use Law & Policy, which focuses on the legal policies that govern environmental risk and impact. ENVS 384 Conservation Economics discusses conservation issues, forest management, and wildlife resources.
Train Dreams is also nominated for Best Original Song. Students can develop their ear for music with MUSC 101 Art of Listening, an Artistic Knowledge and Experience course, which pairs direct experience with artistic works with cross-cultural analysis of music styles.
Sentimental Value, dir. Joachim Trier
Nominated for nine awards, the Scandinavian film explores the life and losses of a filmmaker and his family.
Learn more about the filmmaking process explored in the film with COMM 274 Introduction to Cinema. The Artistic Knowledge and Experience credit class studies cinema as a complex medium of communication, providing the terminology and observational skills to better understand films. COMM 324 Film Genre expands on the evolution of independent filmmaking in the United States and studies influential films from John Cassavetes to Spike Lee.
Sentimental Value’s emphasis on family dynamics and generational trauma can be further explored in SOCL 240 Families, which focuses on family arrangements and social forces.
F1, dir. Joseph Kosinski
A story of teamwork and self-discovery, F1 follows Brad Pitt as a driver returning to Formula 1 racing to lead a struggling team. The film earned four nominations, including Best Picture.
Students can expand their knowledge of the science behind racing with PHYS 101 Liberal Arts Physics, a course for non-science majors focused on contemporary issues of physics and society.
Learn more about the psychology behind the F1 drivers’ split-second decision-making and team problem-solving with PSYC 280 Psychology of Judgement and Decision-Making. The course examines both the day-to-day and the political forces that shape decision-making.
The Secret Agent, dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Set in 1977 Brazil, The Secret Agent is a political thriller following a former professor as he navigates political turmoil and military dictatorship in the country. Students can learn more about the historical context and political themes of the film with HIST 353 Latin America in Recent Times, a Latin America Studies course that examines the political and cultural developments in the region from the 20th century to present day.
Filmed entirely in Portuguese, the film is also nominated for Best International Feature Film. Learn the basics of the language with PORT 101 Portuguese 1, an introduction to language structures and cultural history designed for students with no previous experience in Portuguese.
Bugonia, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
The satirical story of a CEO kidnapped by conspiracy theorists who believe her to be an alien, Bugonia dives into themes of isolation, paranoia, and power.
Interested in the role of psychology and how it relates to conspiracy thinking in this film? PSYC 275 Social Psychology, a Tier 2 Societal Knowledge class, offers an introduction to social psychology by exploring social cognition and influence, attitude formation and change, aggression, and group behavior.
The film was also nominated for Best Original Score. Develop an understanding of music theory through an exploration of musical scores with MUSC 246 Composition 1. In the class, students compose an original piece of music for two instruments for a public performance.
Hamnet, dir. Chloé Zhao
Set in Elizabethan England, Hamnet follows William Shakespeare, his family, and the real-life tragedies that inspire the classic play Hamlet.
Jump into the famous playwright’s canon with ENGL 274 Exploring Shakespeare. The Tier 2 Literary Knowledge class focuses on the Bard’s plays as theater and literature through an exploration of his comedies, tragedies, histories, and romances.
More interested in the historical setting of Hamnet? HIST 301 Plagues: The Black Death and Other Pandemics and HIST 318 London 1550-1715 discuss the effects of the Bubonic Plague of the 14th Century across Europe and London’s economic, political, and cultural rise during Shakespeare’s time.
Frankenstein, dir. Guillermo del Toro
Based on one of the first science fiction novels, Frankenstein raises questions about the ethics of creation, good versus evil, and ambition.
Students seeking to continue discussions of Frankenstein’s ethics can take PHIL 389 Contemporary Issues: Science Fiction and Bioethics, which analyzes the bioethical themes of popular science fiction books and movies. For those interested in more Romantic Era texts, ENGL 338 Studies in the Romantic Movement explores the structures and themes of works created during the period.
Discuss these films and more with fellow Rambler film buffs at LUC Film Club and explore the full Loyola Academic Catalog to find more classes offered at the University.
