
As a theater actor in the late 80s dying of the AIDS virus, Rami Malek headlines The Man I Love. It premiered at Cannes Film Festival and is the latest drama from Ira Sachs, maker of the Passages and Peter Hujar’s Day. Costars include Tom Sturridge, Luther Ford, Rebecca Hall, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
WME Independent is handling stateside distribution likely for this fall. Don’t be surprised if it pops up at future fests (especially New York’s). With 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic, critics are appreciative. However, the buzz doesn’t cause me to believe Best Picture is in play and that it’ll be Sachs’s first major awards breakout.
That is with one possible exception. Malek is drawing particular praise in some write-ups saying it’s a career best performance. Eight years ago, he took home Best Actor as Freddie Mercury in the blockbuster Bohemian Rhapsody. Since then, he’s yet to have a follow-up role that the Academy would notice. If WME can run a worthwhile campaign and if competition isn’t too steep, he could be viable for one of the five spots. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…