Secret Oscar Voter 6: Ballot exposed with ‘The Brutalist,’ Fernanda Torres, Adrien Brody
Here in the final stages of the 2025 Oscar season, several Academy Awards voters have revealed their ballots to Gold Derby, telling us who they voted for – and why. We promised to keep their identities confidential and their comments unfiltered. Now that voting has concluded, we will share a few of no-longer-secret ballots with you. Below are the selections of Voter 6. You can also read the summary of secret Oscar Voter 1, Oscar Voter 2, Oscar Voter 3, Oscar Voter 4, and Oscar Voter 5.
BEST PICTURE: The Brutalist
More from GoldDerby
No other film this year has made a stronger case for cinema being a legitimate and pure form of art than The Brutalist. It is a work of art, plain and simple. Beyond its themes about immigration and the American dream, it’s just as much a dissection of the human condition. The story, direction, and performances do justice to every single theme the film tackles, from power struggles to the design process. It’s also the most aesthetically pleasing film among the nominees; the marble sequence brought me to tears. I’m Still Here is a close second, I thought it was absolutely magnificent and it touched me on a very personal level. In third, Nickel Boys.
BEST DIRECTOR: Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
What Corbet accomplished with The Brutalist is nothing short of mindblowing. With limited resources, he created what felt like a mega-production. Epic in scale, complex, and yet incredibly intimate at the same time. Every element of the production — from the cinematography to the production design — contributes to create a cohesive whole, and that’s down to Brady Corbet’s direction.
BEST ACTRESS: Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here)
Torres delivers such a pure performance, without the need of any prosthetics or special effects (something that is becoming rarer to find these days). The way she can express so much with a performance that is so internal is truly masterful. She moved me deeply.
BEST ACTOR: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
Brody guides us through the epic journey that is The Brutalist. He’s able to convey László’s dreams, desires and frustrations in the subtlest of ways. I was inspired by the way his character sees art everywhere, in everyday objects, in life. Brody sells it throughout the entire 3 1/2-hour runtime. I wish I could vote for more than one actor, though. Timothée Chalamet’s performance was also very impressive.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Felicity Jones (The Brutalist)
This was probably the hardest category to vote for. Isabella Rossellini is amazing in Conclave, but severely underutilized. Zoe Salda?a saves Emilia Pérez for me, but she’s the protagonist of the film; I wouldn’t feel comfortable voting for her as a supporting actress. Which leaves Felicity Jones, who is able to carry out a complete and fully-realized character arc despite only being in only half of the picture. I thought she was phenomenal.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Yura Borisov (Anora)
Borisov’s performance perfectly complements the vertiginous pace of Anora. He was the costar of that final act, which was my favorite part of the movie. He manages to deliver a comedic performance with a lot of heart.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Nickel Boys
I struggled with this category. Conclave has a strong screenplay, one that elevates the source material, but that final act is the weakest part of the film, and that’s down to the writing. I went with Nickel Boys, a really tough book to adapt but it worked for me on every level. I wish RaMell Ross had been nominated for Best Director, but I’ll gladly give him my vote in this category instead.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Anora
I was really close to voting for The Brutalist in this category as well. I thought the dialogues were more profound and thought-provoking than Anora’s, but Anora is a different type of movie. Its structure is really creative, as is the way it tackles its themes. Yes, the dialogues may be a bit superficial, but they work completely within the context of the story Sean Baker is telling.
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Best of GoldDerby
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
