It's Been a Minute Sinners vs. One Battle After Another: who should win Best Picture?
Mar 11, 2026
Robert Daniels, associate editor at RogerEbert.com who writes on film and representation, and Nadira Goffe, Slate culture writer who analyzes race and fandom, debate Sinners versus One Battle After Another. They discuss why fans pit the films against each other. They trace historical Oscar parallels, unpack marketing and visibility, and examine portrayals of Black characters and revolutionary politics.
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How Two Films Became An Oscars Culture War
- Sinners and One Battle After Another became framed as an oppositional Best Picture race that speaks to larger cultural fault lines.
- Fans defended Sinners after perceived trade snubs and early profitability tweets, intensifying online battles over representation and legitimacy.
Early Coverage Shaped Sinners Fandom Defense
- Sinners faced an early uphill legitimacy battle because trades highlighted its short-term profitability and excluded it from year-end lists.
- That pattern plus the Academy's demographics and Ryan Coogler's fervent fanbase created a defensive fandom ready to contest perceived slights.
Film Rivalry Echoes Past Oscar Flashpoints
- Listeners compared this year to La La Land versus Moonlight, noting both films trade in Black topics and so are easy to pit against each other.
- One Battle After Another centers revolutionary politics while Sinners centers Black women and sensuality, creating overlapping turf.