The Oscars 2024: Which nominee for Best Picture has the best film poster?

Jack Smith: That pale pink really is in vogue isn't it? It's bloody everywhere. The Tupac knuckles give a good idea of what this is all about – a man trapped in a fictional version of himself. And an Oscar-nommed film that doesn't take itself too seriously. Nice. It looks like fun this, doesn't it? 8/10

Lizzie Hutchison: You have to admire designers who recklessly dispose of capital letters, making English teachers wince nationwide. Aside from that, I like how they've mixed illustration with photography – gives it a nice fresh look. And without wishing to sound like an English teacher, hints at it being a film of many layers. 7/10

Anatomy of a Fall

Smith: This is gorgeous. A nice juxtaposition of death and delicacy. I'm intrigued. And I get the feeling this will be great. The whole layout is stacked top to bottom – a nice conceptual nod to the fall. It's busy in drama and quiet in elements. It's just the right amount of information to get you hooked without falling into the usual trap of bombarding your senses with anything the designers can throw at it. 9/10

Hutchison: Oooh dramaaaa. It's giving alternative ending to The Snowman. This certainly proves that less is more. And as it turns out, so is centrally aligning text. Draws the eye to the title and also somehow the image. Very effective. 8/10

Barbie

Smith: I'm embarrassed to say this is the only film on the list I've actually got around to seeing. So I suppose the poster worked. More Gosling though, please. I think you could have almost just run a poster with the tagline. Nonetheless, the brief was obviously to pink it up, which it obviously succeeds at. I think it's pretty much impossible to look at this and not know what to expect. 8/10

Hutchison: I love Barbie. I love Ken. I love this film. I love the tagline. I love the poster. I love the director. I love the wardrobe. I love the press. I love the merch. I don't love the lack of Oscar noms. 9/10

The Holdovers

Smith: I like the style. I like the colours. I like the font. But it doesn't make me think I'll like the film. I don't know why. Doesn't it just feel a bit flat? There also seems like an unnecessary amount of text. It feels like someone hasn't edited a Word document yet. 4/10

Hutchison: OK. The contrast between the red and the faint puce background is eye catching, if not conventionally attractive. The text on the left balances the image on the right. But the overall impression is not wholly pleasing. Perhaps it's the grumpy expressions. Perhaps it's 'cos the perspective's a bit off, so they're not quite standing in the bauble. Perhaps I'm getting reminded of my art A level. 6/10

Killers of the Flower Moon

Smith: Feels more like the brief on this one was to sell the fact that the film has Leo [DiCaprio] in it, more than what the film is actually about or trying to make me feel intrigued. Look! It's Leo, we have him. He's in the film. Come and watch Leo. Also there are some other people and some other things that happen. 3/10

Hutchison: Are we still in the 90s? Well then there's no excuse for this sort of behaviour. Take your weird face montage somewhere else. Even Leo looks annoyed about it. I'm tickled that [Martin] Scorsese has mentioned himself three times. If he deleted a few credits, he might free up the page a bit. The only thing it's got going for it is the way Leo is lit. Nice red and orange highlights. But the paint effect on the right-hand edge? Disaster. 2/10

Maestro

Smith: Bradley Cooper looks longingly into the distance dreaming of his first Oscar. Bit try hard, isn't it? Looks like it's trying to pastiche the past. But, in doing so, I think it just becomes a bit boring. I mean, to be honest, even Brad looks a bit bored there. 5/10

Hutchison: If this was an Italian oil painting, it would be chiaroscuro. But it's an American film poster so it's just pretentious. Also, why do they never put the right name under the right actor? It keeps me up at night. That said, it is a nice shot and it does draw the eye into the title. Good luck reading the credits though. 6/10

Oppenheimer

Smith: I can hear the nuclear hum. Big glowing explosion – well, there or thereabouts – and main man up front. Looks and feels like a Nolan film, doesn't it? Murphy's face is almost hidden in the shadows. The names at the top are nice and small. This is all about the story, not about the people in it. Hardly ground-breaking, but does sell it to me. Solid 7/10

Hutchison: Feels like the poster might be more exciting than the film. But I don't plan on watching it, so I'll never know. Still, you can't go wrong with a bit of symmetry, a dramatic explosion, a few gold flecks and our man Cillian up front. Tasty. 8/10

Past Lives

Smith: Yawn. I bet they meet unexpectedly, something gets in the way of their romance and then they end up getting together in the end. And if that's not the plot, then why make a poster that makes it feel like it is? This feels dull. It doesn't inspire me. It doesn't intrigue me. It doesn't ignite me. It makes me want to watch something else. 3/10

Hutchison: This poster makes my commute look interesting. Although if anyone stared that intently at me on the District Line, I'd be reporting them to the British Transport Police. Muted colours create an everyday blandness, but I do very much like the font and how they've arranged the lines above and beneath it. 5/10

Poor Things

Smith: What is this? In a good way, I mean. If nothing else, I'm about to look the film up. Emma Stone is obviously the draw here – all those other poor, very well-established actors relegated to the size of her little finger. Is she pouring out her heart? Is she real? Is this a dream? Is this, in fact, just a bit of a self-serving artistic wet dream? Perhaps. All, I guess, will be revealed. 6/10

Hutchison: Hollywood's kooky gal just got kookier. And fair play to her, if I had the contents of what looks like purgatory pouring out of my chest, I'd be looking a lot more miserable about it. Nice font, but I'm not sure about the painterly finish. There's a lot going on. 6/10

The Zone of Interest

Smith: Well, this is cool. It's part charmingly idyllic, part terrifyingly deathly. I do know what this is about. But if I didn't, I'd want to find out. That empty space. Filled with black. This is by far the most intriguing of the batch. Kudos to whoever designed this. In fact, I'm going to look when it's showing near me right now. 10/10

Hutchison: Beaut. I'd have this on my wall. Only I'd have to redo the rest of my flat to make it cool enough to house it. Love how they've arranged the layout, with two thirds of the available space as a flat black sky. Really unusual. Also enjoy how the font bleeds off the image and draws the eye to the titles, without trying. The whole thing is moody-chic, and that's something we can all aspire to. 10/10

And the award for Best Poster goes to... The Zone of Interest.

Jack Smith and Lizzie Hutchison are creatives at AML Group.