As the 2022 Oscars fast approaches, fans are still debating which of the nominated titles will take home the top prize of Best Picture. There is a great variety in this year's nominees from broad comedies to intense dramas, big blockbusters to intimate indies. And each impacts the audience in a different way.
It is especially interesting to see how each of these movies grabs the audience in the opening moments of the story and the way it leaves them at the end. Looking at the first and last lines in each of the Best Picture nominees is a quick glimpse at the journeys they tell.
Belfast
First - Ma: "How Are You, Frankie?" / Last - Granny: "Don't Look Back. I Love You Son."
The opening moments of Belfast transports the viewers back to the titular city in 1960 as Ma greets one of her neighbors in the small community. At the end of the movie, as the family boards the bus to leave Belfast, Granny watches them, encouraging her son that this is the right move for them.
Each of these lines encapsulates the theme of the movie which is that a place can remain a home to someone even when they have to leave it. There is a sense that the community is somewhere the family is comfortable, but while leaving the place they love is hard, it's also necessary.
CODA
First - Ruby: (Singing) "I Get A Feeling That I Never, Never, Never, Never Had Before." / Last - Ruby: (g) "I Love You Forever."
The drama CODA introduces Ruby and her family as they work on their fishing boat while she sings along to the Etta James song "Something's Got a Hold On Me." When she heads off to college at the end of the movie, Ruby signs to her family that she loves them.
These quotes are both representative of Ruby's journey in the movie. Out on the ocean and without her family able to hear her, she embraces her love of music which is also something that distances her from her family. But her using sign language to say goodbye to her family shows they will always be the most important to her.
Don't Look Up
First - Kate: "God D*****." / Last - Randall: "We Really Did Have Everything Didn't We. I Mean, When You Think About It."
In the first moments of the comet destroys the world comes from Randall as he takes a bittersweet moment to reflect on everything the world made available to them and how they wasted it.
While the first line is a small moment, it could speak to the movie's message of focusing on the small things instead of the big problem at hand. And though there are post-credit scenes, the final line before the credits is its most profound which clearly speaks to the allegory of climate change.
Drive My Car
First - Oto: "From Time To Time, She Starts Sneaking Into Yamaga's House." / Last - Misaki: "No."
The Japanese movie Drive My Car begins with Oto telling a story to her husband Yusuke as they are in bed. The movie ends with Misaki returning to Korea, shown shopping at a grocery store before driving off in Yusuke's car.
The story told at the beginning of the movie becomes an important one that speaks to Yusuke's relationship with his wife. The final line isn't entirely important, but the fact that Misaki has returned home and Yusuke has given her his car shows that they have both finally moved on from their pain.
Dune
First - Narrator: "Dreams Are Messages From The Deep." / Last - Chani: "This Is Only The Beginning."
Over a black screen, the first lines in Dune come from a mysterious narrator delivering a cryptic message in an alien language. At the end of the movie, Paul is introduced to the "desert power" of the Fremen people as Chani hints that there is much more to be revealed.
The first line is certainly an attention-grabbing way to start the story and foreshadows Paul's prophetic visions. The final line certainly works as a way of showing how Paul's journey is just beginning while also getting fans excited for the sequel.
King Richard
First - Richard: "I'll Take That. Thank You." / Last - Crowd: "Venus!"
Right away as introduced going into a tennis shop and picking up a bag of balls for his daughters to practice with. At the end of the movie, as the Williams family leaves Venus's star-making tournament, the crowd, including Richard, cheers her name.
These two lines show the amazing journey these young athletes and their mentor go on in the movie. From the humble beginnings to the cusp of fame, Richard's drive and pride in his daughters are shown while making the ultimate success all the more satisfying.
Licorice Pizza
First - Student: "This Is An Announcement About Picture Day." / Last - Alana: "I Love You, Gary."
As the opening credits of Licorice Pizza roll, the first line comes as an announcement over a school's speaker system about Picture Day. At the end of the movie, Alan and Gary run down the street together, hand in hand as she professes her love for him.
The first lines actually kick off the love story as Alana and Gary meet at Picture Day but it also helps to cement the movie as a high school coming-of-age story. The final line is sweet, but it also has the feeling that this is a story of young love and may not last.
Nightmare Alley
Bus Driver: "Alright Folks, Last Stop. End Of The Line." / Last - Stan: "Mister, I Was Born For It."
The noir thriller Nightmare Alley kicks off as Stan finds his bus ride ending at a carnival where his journey begins. At the end of the movie, Stan is a broken man who willingly signs up to be the carnival's "geek," a pitiful figure treated like an animal.
It is possible to see the first lines of the movie foreshadowing that this is the beginning of the end for Stan as he is brought into the world of the carnival. His final line makes that journey complete as he has given up finding a better path.
The Power Of The Dog
First - Peter: "When My Father ed, I Wanted Nothing More Than My Mother's Happiness." / Last - Peter: "Deliver My Soul From The Sword. My Darling From The Power Of The Dog."
The opening narration of The Power of The Dog has Peter explaining his sense of protecting his mother and making her life easy any way he can. After the death of the cowboy Phil, Peter reads a bible verse aloud.
With the first and last line, the movie foreshadows the shocking twist of Peter killing Phil and gives his motivation for doing so. The opening line sounds like the words of a loving son, not indicating just how far he would go. But the final bible verse refers to protecting those against harmful enemies, like Phil.
West Side Story
First - Riff: "Jets!" / Last - Braulio: "Maria, It Is Time. Come With Us."
As the Jets street gang gathers in their slum, their leader Riff calls them into action as they prepare to do battle with the Sharks. At the end of West Side Story, as Tony lies dead, the Sharks and Jets come together to carry his body for Maria.
The lines seem to be a simple example of how the violence that started between the gangs at the beginning led to such a tragic end. It also shows the moments these gangs are willing to put that aside with the love story of Maria and Tony acting as the bridge between them.
