2024 Film Matching Trivia Quiz

Answer: Conclave

A film about the election of a new pope does not seem promising material for a political thriller. However, the 2024 award-winning film "Conclave" fits that description. Ralph Fiennes' character Cardinal Thomas Lawrence had the task of organising a conclave to elect a new pope following the death of the incumbent.

His role expanded into investigating the various candidates. Various scandals were unearthed.

Answer: Nickel Boys

Based on the 2019 novel "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead, the 2024 historical drama "Nickel Boys" followed Elwood Curtis as a promising youth in the Jim Crow-era 1960s who ended up in the reform school known as Nickel Academy by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The reform school proved to be a harsh experience for African-Americans where little was done to restrain the supervisors. Three actors portray Elwood to reflect the young African-American kid, the reform school youth and the "Elwood" adult of later life.

Answer: I'm Still Here

The biographical drama "I'm Still Here" was the 2024 film adaptation of the 2015 memoir "Ainda Estou Aqui" (Portuguese for "I'm Still Here") by Marcelo Rubens Paiva. The film covered the story of the author's activist mother and her actions following the disappearance of his father at the hands of the military dictatorship ruling in Brazil at the time.

The film won various awards including an Oscar for Best International Feature Film.

Answer: A Real Pain

The 2024 comedy-drama "A Real Pain" used a group heritage tour to Poland as a vehicle for two once-close cousins to reunite whilst connecting with their family history. With clashing personalities, they came back changed from their experiences. Jesse Eisenberg who wrote, directed and portrayed one of the cousins, was granted Polish citizenship as a result of the film.

Answer: Challengers

Written by Justin Kuritzkes, the script for "Challengers" appeared on The Black List, an annual survey of 'most-liked' film screenplays not yet produced, before MGM brought it to life under the direction of Luca Guadagnino. The award-winning sports film followed the relationship of three tennis players, friends and lovers over 13 years in a non-linear fashion.

Answer: The Brutalist

The 2024 historical drama "The Brutalist" was about the struggles of a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to the US to practise as an architect, having learnt his skills at the Bauhaus school in Germany prior to the Second World War. Although a fictional story, the film title can be seen as a nod to the 1950s Brutalist architectural movement as well as the psychological and physical trauma (or 'brutalism') the lead character endured in coming to the country as an outsider.

Answer: The Substance

Demi Moore portrayed an ageing celebrity in the multi-award winning 2024 satirical body horror film "The Substance". She turned to a black market drug to turn back the clock as far as her body was concerned, with unfortunate results. French film maker Coralie Fargeat wrote the script, and produced and directed the film.

She used the film to explore the female perspective on societal pressures on women, in particular on their bodies, as they age.

Answer: Anora

American film maker Sean Baker has tended to direct films on the lives of marginalised people such as immigrants and sex workers. The 2024 comedy-drama "Anora" was one such film, with the New York City-based stripper Anora attracting the attention of the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch.

Although not based on a true story, there were plenty of real-life elements included such as a green card marriage, parents with other plans and the threat of violence. Out of 180 nominations, the film received 91 awards including 5 Oscars.

Answer: Thelma

Phone scams are a fact of life. In the case of the 2024 comedy-drama film "Thelma", the 93-year-old victim Thelma Post mistakenly responded to a plea for money from someone masquerading as her grandson. She decided that she wanted her money back which as a result helped her to reunite with an old friend she had been avoiding. Written and directed by Josh Margolin, Thelma Post was also the name of his grandmother who was the target of a phone scam, although the scam failed on that occasion when family intervened.

Answer: A Complete Unknown

Focussing on the period 1961-1965, this 2024 music biopic covered Bob Dylan's early American folk singer years culminating in Dylan's decision to switch to electric guitars, which created some controversy at the time. Based in part on Elijah Wald's 2015 book "Dylan Goes Electric", the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the lookalike actor in the lead role (Timothée Chalamet) to spend more time learning to play the guitar and harmonica before the filming. Chalamet was also credited as a producer for the film.

It was directed by James Mangold, who was interested in directing the film after his 2005 Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line".