The 2024 Oscars lie just a few days away and the upcoming hype of the star-studded craze has already ascended as contenders pin their hopes on winning the film industry’s top honor. In this race that boasts of filling up the maximum allotment of ten flicks to compete against one another for the Best Picture Award, a potential debate has started to boil up and is aimed straight at Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, or more specifically, at one of its best performers, Messi the Dog.

After the conclusion of The Oscars luncheon in February, which Messi did attend, questions arose about his potential denial into the main event, which holds a sad truth.

Anatomy of a Fall lands in a debate just days before the 2024 Oscars

Justine Triet directed Anatomy of a Fall to stand out as one of the finest examples of cinematic storytelling winning five nominations at the 2024 Oscars. The movie’s plot followed Sandra Hüller’s character, embroiled in a murder trial with the only potential witnesses being Sandra’s blind son, Daniel, and their guide dog, Snoop, played by the dog actor, Messi. Now, The Hollywood Reporter stated that the Border Collie may not return for the main event on Sunday following complaints by fellow nominees.

Messi’s presence at The Oscars Luncheon on February 12 had him as the star attraction, with the likes of Bradley Cooper, Billie Eilish, and Ryan Gosling going star-struck by his presence. However, the event coinciding with the voting and review season of the Academy had fellow nominees voice their concern about the dog’s ability to influence the sway of votes away from them and towards the Anatomy of a Fall. Taking note of it, the Academy may consider not allowing Messi at the 96th Oscars.

In the meantime, the Justine Triet movie, while having its strengths, has a tough battle to fight.

A jam-packed category contends for the race to a Best Picture win

Anatomy of a Fall has five nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. However, it still falls short of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which leads the pack with a whopping thirteen nominations. Additionally, with ten equally competent films vying for the award, the results could swing in any direction, especially after the end of the campaigning season.

If recent award shows are a metric to judge by then Oppenheimer and Poor Things have managed to bag the most numbers of wins, with the former going on a winning streak in the 2024 Golden Globes. Yet, for Anatomy of a Fall, its recent wins in Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language and Best Screenplay could be its strengths this Oscar.

What are your thoughts on Messi the dog being denied an entry into the 2024 Oscars? Let us know in the comments below.