Canaan Land

Richard Rossi deserves a Best Actor nomination for Brother Billy. He carries the film from beginning to end in the sense that I can't stop watching him and wanting to know what happens next. I saw on Fox News a commentator express concern that Netflix has spent millions on ads in The Hollywood trades to make sure their candidates are the ones predicted to win and also keep with the quotas of rectifying the Oscars being mostly white in the past, so the Best actor nominees the trades are predicting are all black actors in Netflix projects. I think it's highly unfair to Rossi, but his work is so stellar I am hopeful Academy members look past the politics and give Rossi the nomination he deserves. Also strong in the film is Rebecca Holden as Sister Sara. She is perfect casting for the part and has already won a Best Actress award for her acting in the film. (I saw this on the film's official website). Speaking of black actors, Isaac Bar-jonah deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination for playing Laz. One of the best scenes in the film is when he and Billy talk over the ethics of what they are doing in conning people. Laz conscience is bothering him and Billy talks him out of the guilt he is feeling. I read that Jozy Pollock and Rosetta Walker are also under consideration for their excellent Supporting Actress work. This film has a multi-cultural cast, well-balanced of different races, ages, and ethnicities. Judge the film on its merits and whether you like it or not. Don't discriminate because of its small budget or because of racial factors.