Best picture this year is a given: Boyhood. Nothing like it has ever been done, period. Its ambitious realism makes it a touching and emotional portrait of the human condition. It’s a dynamic time capsule that showcases the microevolution of American culture since 2002. Plus, the film recently won the Golden Globe for Best Drama— and this award has gone to the Best Picture winner for the past two years. There’s absolutely no reason to think this trend won’t continue.

While Boyhood will be selected by the Academy, it had competition from other formidable nominees. American Sniper, though inspiring, is too politically divisive to win Best Picture. The Theory of Everything just doesn’t stand out enough to beat the other nominees. I would be perfectly fine with Birdman or Whiplash winning. The former is a technical masterpiece from the ever-innovative Alejandro González Iñárritu, and the latter is a dazzling character-driven story that has veteran J.K. Simmons and rising star Miles Teller delivering their finest work. Despite their merits, neither come close to Boyhood in terms of innovation or critical reception.

If I were to change the list of nominees at all, I would place Nightcrawler, a gritty neo-noir adventure into the dark side of LA led by the maniacal Jake Gyllenhaal, above both American Sniper and The Theory of Everything. Like Boyhood, they push cinematic boundaries.