The buzz around the 96th Oscars is at an all-time high! With 2023 being one stellar year for cinema, fans are enthusiastically rooting for their favorites including Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. to take home the gold. Still, amidst all the glitz and glamour of big-budget blockbusters like Oppenheimer, Barbie, and Poor Things, there’s a little gem that might just get overshadowed, and that is Benedict Cumberbatch’s short film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. But this film deserves all the light to shine bright on it, here’s why!
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar Is Vying for Its Spot to Win the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film
Amidst all the debates and speculation about who will win the Best Actor and Margot Robbie’s most talked about Oscar nomination snub, this hidden gem starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Wes Anderson seems to have slipped under the radar. It’s most definitely deserving of all the love and hype it can get. True to Anderson’s signature style, the movie is visually stunning and based on the Roald Dahl story titled The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
Besides this, Anderson took on the challenge of adapting four of Dahl’s classic stories into quirky shorts, all available for viewing on Netflix. Among them, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar rightfully and undoubtedly shines bright, snagging an Oscar nod for Best Live-Action Short. Speaking about the motivation behind his work, Wes Anderson revealed to The Hollywood Reporter,
“I realized that it was Roald Dahl’s words that made the stories particularly interesting, that without his language I was not really as interested in adapting them,–But I found a way to do them where we kept his language at the center of them.”
Anderson managed to craft a layered story about Henry Sugar, played by Cumberbatch, who discovers a mysterious report in a mansion’s library in a film that runs for a total runtime of under 40 minutes. This leads to a journey back in time to India, unfolding in many mysterious adventures. The movie is most certainly a must-watch!
Why the Benedict Cumberbatch Short Film Just Might Win!
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar clearly stands out in popularity among its fellow nominees in the category, which includes The After, Red, White, and Blue, Invincible, and Knight of Fortune. This gives the short film a significant push.
Some might also say this film also offers the Academy a prime opportunity to honor the writer-director Wes Anderson, who surprisingly hasn’t won any Academy Awards until now despite having many nominations. With its interesting plot and visual charm, it is most certainly like no other.
Featuring several academy-friendly faces such as Benedict Cumberbatch himself, who has previously been nominated for Oscars, and Ben Kingsley, the film holds a promising chance to snag a win. With seasoned performers on board and the film’s compelling story, it is indeed a strong contender in the race for this Oscar category.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is streaming on Netflix.
