Lion is the powerful true story of a five-year-old Indian boy named Saroo, who gets lost from his family and adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty-five years later, Saroo sets out to find his real family.

There are rarely times when I am emotionally moved by films based on true stories, but surprisingly, Lion was able to grab hold of my heart through its beautiful performances, writing, and emotion. Dev Patel delivers one of his best performances, as well as one of the greatest performances of 2016. He steals every scene that he’s in with his quiet and deep emotion that he so exquisitely displays in his character. Not to mention newcomer Sunny Pawar, who blew me away in his performance as Saroo at a much younger age. It is rare to see such strong work being delivered by such young actors, and I’ve only seen such realistic work like what Pawar beings to the screen being delivered by younger actors this year in Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea. Puwar is the anchor of a large portion of the film, and with his great dialogue and soul, he carries his part of the film extremely well. Rooney Mara and Nicole Kidman are both wonderful, as they dig into their roles and bring lots of life into their characters.

What makes Lion so potent and affecting definitely comes from its writing. Screenwriter Luke Davies writes a script that keeps the film well-paced, focuses on the important aspects of Saroo and the people around him, and makes you emotionally attached to the characters of the film through thoughtful themes and humanly characters. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, focusing on wide shots of the film’s marvelous locations, which include India and Australia. The movie’s score is also dazzling and definitely deserving of its Oscar nomination. Some people may not enjoy parts of the film as much as others, but I felt immersed in this true adventure that never gives up on speaking to its audiences. Every tear you may shed will be worth it, and every emotion leading up to a stunning climax will never fail to reach out to you. Lion is a brilliant biopic that will be emotionally challenging for many, but the journey is definitely worth experiencing.

Moonlight follows a young black man and his journey from childhood to adulthood, as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.

Moonlight is one of the few coming-of-age movies I’ve watched that actually leave a lasting impression on you after you see them. Most movies made about a character growing up or entering a new phase of their lives are meant to entertain and leave a smile on your face when the credits roll, but after watching Moonlight, I was affected. This movie takes a look at those who grow up during extremely tough circumstances, like how our protagonist, Chiron, is growing up in a poor neighborhood surrounded by bad role models and unfriendly classmates. We watch how a character experiences a not-so-perfect childhood and how that affects him later on in his life as well. Most coming-of-age movies are so great because they have lots of heart, but films like Boyhood, Good Will Hunting, and this, are meant to hit you hard emotionally. This movie definitely doesn’t fail. Director Barry Jenkins crafts great characters and a setting that we get to know as Chiron experiences important parts of growing up and tries to discover who he is meant to be in this world. Chiron is portrayed wonderfully by 3 different actors, and they all deliver almost life-like performances that are often emotionally tough to watch. Mahershala Ali is incredible as one of the most compelling supporting characters in the film. His character seems cliche at first, but after his first scene, he’s given lots of emotion and heart, and Ali did a terrific job embracing his role and bringing the best out of his acting. He’s come a long way from starring in Hunger Games movies and a Marvel TV series, and this is the performance that is sure to finally shine the light on him. Naomie Harris is also powerful and heartbreaking as Chiron’s mother, whose scenes are limited but very poignant.

Moonlight tells a coming-of-age story not in the inspiring way, but in the moving way. Although it may seem too similar to Boyhood, there are difference and filmmaking techniques and plot points that make the two films vastly different. Moonlight focuses on only three different chapters of the protagonist’s life with three different actors, and focuses more on hardships and influences of group up in rough circumstances, providing different themes and messages throughout its runtime. The writing and cinematography are always on-point and never boring, and the score is well-done and very nice to listen to. I could tell how dedicated the director was on telling such a difficult story that seemed so important to him, and he made lots of great choices while making this film. Moonlight may seem a tad familiar from marketing, but experiencing it is different from watching any other film. Well-acted, directed, and written, Moonlight is a powerful and moving tale of self-discovery. Not many films today are produced and made like Moonlight, so this film’s creativity and brilliance are guaranteed to score this film lots of nods at the Oscars.

Hidden Figures is the true story of a trio of African-American women who provided NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch John Glenn into space in 1962.

In a year filled with biopics and true stories, Hidden Figures may just be one of the finest. This is another one of those stories that introduces a new subject or new people to a large audience that had not known about them before. Before viewing this movie, I didn’t know anything about the marvelous achievements of these three women, and I love the types of movies and inform you about little know yet important historical matters like this. Taraji P. Henson delivers a terrific leading performance as Katherine G. Johnson, who’s achievements and legacy are the center of the film. Henson delivers lots of heart but also tons of emotion in her role. She is accompanied by outstanding supporting performances from Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner. The script is written very well, and the movie definitely knows how to keep an audience entertained, even though watching people discussing the mathematics of space launch and travel isn’t always the most entertaining thing to watch on the big screen. The events the film focus on aren’t just an important part of our history, but they also have great themes about bravery and persistence that will keep many audiences engaged, even some younger audiences will enjoy watching this movie. Although some of the movie’s filmmaking style, including its style of cinematography and score, feel very familiar and recycled from other films in its genre, and nothing about the directing or filmmaking is memorable at all, the triumphant storytelling and the empowering and interesting themes make this easy to ignore.

Hidden Figures has a great historical lesson and strong messages, as well as spot-on performances and writing. It’s a movie that audiences younger than teens can enjoy as well, and one that will definitely leave you thinking. It’s not a must in theaters, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t recommend it. Go see Hidden Figures if you’re interested in the subject, or just want to have a good time at the movies.

In Martin Scorsese’s new religious epic, two priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) journey to Japan to locate their mentor (Liam Neeson) only to face violence and prosecution against Christianity.

Silence is unfortunately one of the more disappointing films this awards season. Some have acclaimed it, but I felt disappointed and unsatisfied when the film ended. Scorsese does a great job with the film’s technical aspects, using natural sound beautifully instead of music in any scenes, and the cinematography and set designs are great as well. Andrew Garfield delivers a great performance, even though it’s emotionally hard to connect with his character. Liam Neeson also delivers a very good supporting performance in a key role. However, I was disappointed in the lack of strength that the film’s theme had. Most historical films know how to pull you in with the topic they focus on, but besides some gripping and powerful scenes involving torture and violence, Silence has nothing to offer throughout its runtime that’s worth the price of admission. The film’s 2 hours and 40 minutes long, and despite most films that run as long and actually feel worth it, Silence feels 20 minutes too long with an epilogue that drags on and an unsettling climax. The historical topic felt very interesting and strong but I didn’t feel like it reached out to me as much as the trailer did. The film slows down way too often and some scenes feel repetitive or don’t advance the plot at all. When the scenes do feel important, they’re often powerful and incredibly shot, but something about the film’s religious and historical themes did not impress me, although I could tell Scorsese cared about making this film with all his heart. I’m surprised, however, that this is the project he’s been most passionate about making for the last 20 years, as he’s conveyed far more interesting topics in more impressive films than his latest.

Silence is beautifully shot and directed, with great performances from Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson, but its themes and plot feel hollow and I couldn’t connect with almost anything that happened. This film may reach out to you and you may end up loving it, but I personally was not impressed by the emotional connection the movie was aiming for. There are better films out there to watch in theaters and on Scorsese’s resume.

Denzel Washington directs this adaptation of a Tony award-winning play in which he and Viola Davis once starred in, and here they return in their roles as a working-class African-American father and his wife, who try to raise their family in the 1950’s. Here they deliver two of the year’s best performances with terrific chemistry and dialogue. Washington plays a complex character with a difficult past and a lot he must deal with in the present, who at first seems like a typical nice family man who cares about those close to him, but he’s also intimidating when he wants to be. Delivering such a strong performance like this can be especially hard when you’re on both sides of the camera, but he’s able to convey this character’s personality and wide range of emotions very well. As for Viola Davis, she hasn’t been this good in anything since The Help. She gives it he absolute best here in every sense, and capturing the on-screen feeling of her character, who’s different than the typical housewife you’ll see in this type of films, is a task she’s definitely fit for handling. Despite the performances, there isn’t much about Fences that everyone is guaranteed to love. Sitting through this film requires more patience than most dialogue-heavy movies, and not because it’s 140 minutes long, but because of the extended scenes that span from 15-20 minutes, with a limited amount of characters and are heavy with dialogue and information. While many audiences may enjoy this style, others may not exactly enjoy sitting through the film. I enjoyed watching Fences on the most part due to its powerful themes and especially the performances, but its not one of the films that is guaranteed to keep everyone interested throughout the movie’s runtime. Watching Fences feels more like experiencing a play than a movie, so how much you’ll like it depends greatly on your taste. Some will definitely be captivated by nearly every moment in the film, and some may not enjoy it as much. It’s worth watching for the acting and the intense rush of feelings that you’ll experience in every scene. The emotions that are brought in and conveyed in each scene of the movie were unpredictable and there were lots of moments where mere dialogue exchanges felt heart-pumping because of this. The script deals with the characters and their relationships very well, building up the feelings and feeding us information about the characters throughout every minute in the film, until there becomes a bit too much for the screenplay to need to handle. The small setting in which the entire film takes place makes the larger picture of where and when the movie takes place feel underdeveloped, but the way the actors bring the characters and how they interact with the setting definitely makes up for this.

Fences isn’t a must-watch for everyone due to its theater style of scenery and storytelling, but it brings some superb writing and terrific performances to the screen that you can be sure the Academy won’t ignore.