Oscars 2025: The case for A Complete Unknown to win Best Picture

However, none of the above films went the extra mile and took home the glittering prize of Best Picture; so, while Timothée Chalamet’s spellbinding turn as Bob Dylan has the requisite buzz of a winner, is history against A Complete Unknown itself going all the way?

Its failure to snag any gongs from three nominations at the Golden Globes and six at the BAFTAs would suggest the film is an outsider, but the Oscars have an intermittent tendency to throw curveballs, and outside events may conspire to put it among the frontrunners.

A release date of late December 2024 makes it the "newest" of the nominees and feasibly fresher in voters’ memories, while headline-grabbing news in early ‘25 could yet be a factor; Liberal Hollywood has its concerns about President Trump’s agenda for the next four years, and the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles have hit the community hard.

In times of trouble there is a temptation for audiences to seek out uplifting fare, so the feel-good elements of A Complete Unknown and its soundtrack of iconic songs certainly fit the bill. Director James Mangold’s decision to focus on a specific, relatively short period of time in the singer-songwriter’s career results in a more forensic canvas with greater attention to detail.

The nomination for Best Costume Design is key, a vital component in the evocative recreation of an era viewers of a certain age still hold dear; in addition to the clothes, the depictions of a bustling New York and its smoky clubs contribute to a tangible sense of times that are a-changin’.

• Download the Radio Times app for more Oscars 2025 coverage – including interviews with the stars and exclusive features.

Not that the movie is merely trading on nostalgia, as Dylan’s determination to follow his own path in the face of a disapproving folk hierarchy has parallels with battles subsequent generations of musicians have fought. You don’t have to be a baby boomer to feel A Complete Unknown "speaks" to you, its wider themes arguably making it the nominee with which audiences can identify most directly, echoing the seismic shifts that continue to affect modern music industry business models.

Significantly, the film survived a potentially damaging pre-release controversy over Mangold playing fast and loose with the facts (altering time lines and, in one instance, the name of a leading character); he did so with Dylan’s tacit approval, in a manner that fuelled mythologies the artist has often had fun with himself.

Those particular reservations seemed to be laid to rest once the movie made its way into the world, thanks in no small part to Chalamet delivering a performance as charismatic as any footage of the real Dylan from over the last 60 or so years. The actor gave his own Oscar chances a sizeable boost with a guest spot on America’s long-running Saturday Night Live in January, an enigmatic and talked-about appearance which could yet prove to be the momentum that helps catapults the film to the top prize.

All will be revealed at the Dolby Theatre, where it’s not entirely beyond the realms of possibility for A Complete Unknown to (as Dylan himself might put it) come knock, knock, knockin’ on Oscar’s door.

The Academy Awards will take place on Sunday 2nd March.

Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.