All 5 Best Score Nominees at the 2026 Oscars, Ranked

5. Hamnet — Max Richter. Richter’s score moves through the stages of grief, opening light and ethereal before sliding into darker, more insistent moments. Tracks such as “Look at me,” “Of the heart,” “Of remembrance,” and the final “Of the undiscovered country” build toward an emotional catharsis, and the use of “On the Nature of Daylight” keeps the music tethered to Chloé Zhao’s film, meaning it resonates strongest alongside the images.

4. Frankenstein — Alexandre Desplat. Spanning 105 minutes, Desplat’s most classical and expansive work here supports Guillermo del Toro’s epic approach, balancing the coldness of Victor Frankenstein’s life with the shadowy sweep of pieces like “The Tower” and the tender “Awakening.” Desplat, on his twelfth nomination and a two-time winner, delivers a score that reads like an old-school epic tailored to the film’s grand scope.

3. Sinners — Ludwig Göransson.

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