What will win best picture? It's a maddeningly close race

On a year where one of the lead Oscar contenders is titled "The Favourite," the 91st Academy Awards lack a clear front runner.

Normally a fairly predictable process with one or two favorites, this year's best picture race has been maddeningly unclear, almost devious in its contradictions. The guild awards, usually a road map to the Oscars, have spread their honors around like never before. Not one of the top prizes from the leading guilds has lined up with another.

The producers went for "Green Book," the directors chose "Roma," the actors voted for "Black Panther," the editors chose "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "The Favourite," the cinematographers elected "Cold War" and the writers picked "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" and "Eighth Grade," a movie the academy snubbed entirely.

This image released by Netflix shows Yalitza Aparicio, center, in a scene from the film "Roma," by filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron. The film is nominated for an Oscar for both best foreign language film and best picture. The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday. (Carlos SomonteNetflix via AP)

The inconsistency has befuddled onlookers. Variety called it "uncharted territory." Deadline suggested it is "one of the closest races in academy history."

Oscar balloting concluded Tuesday night. With days to go before show time Sunday, here's a rundown of the contenders and why each one has reason to hope.

ROMA: Many think this is Netflix's Oscar to lose, and, boy, do they want to win it. Alfonso Cuaron's black-and-white drama has some major dings against it. Most notably it was entirely overlooked by the Screen Actors Guild. (All but two films in the last 20 years have needed a SAG ensemble nod to win best picture.) But it remains the critics' choice (both New York and Los Angeles critics groups named it best film), and it won at both the Directors Guild Awards and the BAFTAs. Its 10 nominations evidence widespread esteem for "Roma," including two unexpected acting nods (Yalitza Aparacio, Marina de Tavira). Some prominent academy members (like Steven Spielberg ) have said the Emmys are the proper place for Netflix films. But "Roma," Netflix's first best-picture nominee, may have turned the tide. It would be doubly historic: "Roma" would be the first foreign-language best-picture winner.

This image released by Disney shows a scene from Marvel Studios' "Black Panther." The film is nominated for an Oscar for best picture. The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday. (Matt KennedyMarvel Studios-Disney via AP)

GREEN BOOK: Peter Farrelly's interracial road trip drama seems to be the strongest challenger to "Roma." It won at both the Golden Globes and the Producers Guild Awards , which, like the Oscars, use a preferential ballot. But no movie has been more dogged by criticism. While some see a snappy, feel-good buddy movie, others see an outdated and inauthentic set-up that trades on racial stereotypes. In a close race, can such a polarizing film win? "Green Book," so often compared to 1989's best picture-winning "Driving Miss Daisy," may be exactly the kind of movie that once won best picture. But the film academy's membership has in recent years diversified and grown more international .

THE FAVOURITE: Yorgos Lanthimos' period romp comes tied with "Roma" for the most nominations and yet it has few assured wins. It won seven awards at the BAFTAs (where "Roma" ultimately took the top award). As a British period drama, "The Favourite" has the look of a traditional Oscar winner but gleefully inverts and subverts typical traits of the genre — making it kind of a perfect Academy Awards Trojan horse.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: Critics don't like it . Some say it sanitizes Freddie Mercury's homosexuality. And its director, Bryan Singer, was fired mid-production and is now facing (and denying) numerous allegations of sexual misconduct . These are not the normal ingredients for a best-picture contender. And yet "BoRhap" abides. Not only that, Singer's biopic is a massive hit, especially abroad, with more than $850 million in ticket sales worldwide. It won not just best picture, drama, at the Globes , but took top honors at the ACE Eddie Awards as the best edited drama. Were "Bohemian Rhapsody" to win, some would slam it as the worst best-picture winner ever. Fans would simply sing "We Are the Champions."

This image released by Fox Searchlight Films shows Olivia Colman in a scene from the film "The Favourite." The film is nominated for an Oscar for best picture. The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday. (Atsushi NishijimaFox Searchlight Films via AP)

A STAR IS BORN: Something went amiss for the once-presumed front-runner. Bradley Cooper's remake (also a box-office hit with $423 million globally) has been nominated just about everywhere and yet has gone home with little, besides awards for its music. It still scored seven Oscar nominations, but not since 1934 has a movie without either a directing or editing nod won best picture. No amount of Cooper cameos at Lady Gaga concerts seems able to save it. Also not helping: only two remakes have ever won best picture: 1959's "Ben-Hur" and 2006's "The Departed."

BLACKKKLANSMAN: Spike Lee's latest joint doesn't have a lot of big wins from the precursor awards, but it's the only movie nominated by every major guild. That speaks to a broad support that no other film can match. Many would also like to see Lee, who was given an honorary Oscar in 2015, win his first competitive Academy Award. Lee has called his film this year's dark horse, "pun intended."

BLACK PANTHER: First the bad news. Only once before has a movie with no other major nominations won best picture, and that was "Wings" in 1927, when they were giving out two top awards (the other went to "Sunrise"). The academy tried to bring back that best-picture dichotomy for this Oscars, only to abandon plans for a best popular film category that "Black Panther" would have likely won. But Ryan Coogler's Marvel epic, the first superhero movie ever nominated for best picture, is unique in many ways. It's the year's biggest domestic hit with more than $700 million in North America where it was received as a cultural milestone. It also triumphed at the Screen Actors Guild Awards . A best-picture win wouldn't be the first time "Black Panther" made history.

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Gwilym Lee, from left, Rami Malek and Joe Mazzello in a scene from "Bohemian Rhapsody." The film is nominated for an Oscar for best picture. The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday. (Alex BaileyTwentieth Century Fox via AP)

VICE: Adam McKay's Dick Cheney biopic probably has the longest odds of any of the eight nominees. But, then again, it does have nominations in all the big areas: acting (Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Sam Rockwell), screenplay (McKay), directing (McKay) and editing (Hank Corwin). Only "BlacKkKlansman" and "The Favourite" can say the same.

Follow Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

For full coverage of the Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/AcademyAwards

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Viggo Mortensen, left, and Mahershala Ali in a scene from "Green Book." The film is nominated for an Oscar for best picture. The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday. (Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Annapurna Pictures shows Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, left, and Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush in a scene from "Vice." The film is nominated for an Oscar for best picture. The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday. (Matt KennedyAnnapurna Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Bradley Cooper, left, and Lady Gaga in a scene from "A Star is Born." The film is nominated for an Oscar for best picture. The 91st Academy Awards will be held on Sunday. (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP, File)

TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki, stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy amid a growing nuclear threat in the region.

“We must continue to work together to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. We must continue to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in every corner of the world,” she said after a tour of the atomic bomb museum.

“For those of us who already have those weapons, we must pursue arms control. We can and must work to ensure that Nagasaki is the last place to ever experience the horror of nuclear weapons,” she added, standing in front of colorful hanging origami cranes, a symbol of peace.

The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

Nagasaki Gov. Kengo Oishi said in a statement that he believed Thomas-Greenfield's visit and her first-person experience at the museum “will be a strong message in promoting momentum of nuclear disarmament for the international society at a time the world faces a severe environment surrounding atomic weapons.”

Oishi said he conveyed to the ambassador the increasingly important role of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in emphasizing the need of nuclear disarmament.

Thomas-Greenfield's visit to Japan comes on the heels of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States last week and is aimed at deepening Washington's trilateral ties with Tokyo and Seoul. During her visit to South Korea earlier this week, she held talks with South Korean officials, met with defectors from North Korea and visited the demilitarized zone.

The ambassador said the United States is looking into setting up a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to step up U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a deepening divide between permanent Security Council members over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

She said it would be “optimal” to launch the new system next month, though it is uncertain if that is possible.

The U.N. Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month, when Russia vetoed another renewal.

In its most recent report, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.

The United States, Japan and South Korea have been deepening security ties amid growing tension in the region from North Korea and China.

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, speaks to Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, second right, as they wait for a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, right, walk to meet Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, talk prior to a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, prepare to talk during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)