As Oscar fever grips movie buffs, here are the contenders for best picture and their most memorable quotes

The Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster is based on the riveting biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The film drew from a pivotal moment in American history – the monumental achievement of J. Robert Oppenheimer in splitting the nucleus of an atom known as nuclear fission. It ultimately led to weapons that forever changed the trajectory of human history.

“They won’t fear it until they understand it, and they won’t understand it until they’ve used it.”

As last year’s highest-grossing box office hit, this satirical and nostalgic film offers a feminist spin to the world’s most iconic doll, securing a total of eight nominations. While Ryan Gosling’s beloved portrayal of Ken has earned him a nomination for best supporting actor, Greta Gerwig, the film’s director, and Margot Robbie, its star and producer, were not nominated for their respective categories.

“But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So, find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line.”

Set in Oklahoma during the 1920s, this historical crime drama, receiving 10 nominations at this year’s Oscars, follows a series of murders targeting Osage tribe members and their relatives after oil was discovered on their land.

“Justice is often elusive, but it is worth fighting for.”

This poignant and elegant debut, written and directed by Celine Song, follows a reunion of two childhood friends who grew apart. Song drew from her own immigrant experiences for this soulful story about identity, rekindled love and the connection we have with one another.

“What if this is a past life as well, and we are already something else to each other in our next life? Who do you think we are then?”

This gripping tale follows a woman who is suspected of murdering her husband, and her blind son is the sole witness.

“Sometimes a couple is kind of a chaos and everybody is lost. Sometimes we fight together, and sometimes we fight alone, and sometimes we fight against each other, that happens.”

Based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett, this critically-acclaimed film centres around a struggling black novelist who is tired of the common tropes prevalent in American entertainment – particularly how it reduces an individual to outdated stereotypes. So, he uses a pen name to write a book with the intention of trolling.

“Potential is what people see when what’s in front of them isn’t good enough.”

Starring Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things is a feminist fantasy that follows Bella Baxter, a young woman from a steampunk world of mutants. Based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, Bella was resurrected by a scientist following her suicide, and she embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she runs off with a lawyer.

“I am Bella Baxter. I am a flawed, experimenting person. I seek outings and adventures. Bella’s so much to discover. And there is a world to enjoy, circumnavigate. It is the goal of all to progress, grow.”

Maestro is a biopic looking into the life of Leonard Bernstein, an American conductor and composer. It tells the story of his marriage to Chilean-American actress Felicia Montealegre up until her death due to lung cancer in 1978.

“A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers.”

This historical drama film, written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, follows a German Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss, whose goal is to provide a comfortable home for his wife and children living next to the German Auschwitz concentration camp.

“Every person is a whole world.”

The Holdovers is set during Christmas break at a New England prep school when a grumpy teacher decides to stay behind and care for a group of students who have no place to go. As time flies by, he develops an unexpected bond with a bright yet troubled student, as well as with the school’s head cook, a grieving mother who recently lost her son in the Vietnam war.

“So, before you dismiss something as boring or irrelevant, remember, if you truly want to understand the present or yourself, you must begin in the past. You see, history is not simply the study of the past. It is an explanation of the present.”