I was reading about the Academy Award buzz for an as of yet unreleased picture, and it mentioned three early favorites. Two were obvious: in a word, Barbenheimer. The other was Past Lives. This surprised me, because it didn’t stay around here very long and I hadn’t heard much word of mouth about it. That said, I could not be happier that this comparatively early-season gem has potential for award-season honors. I haven’t enjoyed a movie this much since, what, last year’s Hong Sang Soo peak The Novelist’s Film; in the bigger picture, I haven’t been so enamored by a movie I saw at the cinema since ROMA if not Faces Places. As delighted as I would be for its post-season success, my predictions lean toward the cautious: probably screenplay, possibly best picture due to today’s expanded field, and hopefully actress for Greta Lee, who shows us an entire new dimension that not only anchors the picture but also demonstrates how complete an actor she is. The one I’m most rooting for, however, is Celine Song for director. In her debut feature, Song shows a filmmaking knack full of richness and subtlety like few first-time directors in history.