The Oscars can’t always get it right, but were they seriously wrong with these omissions?
The Oscars are almost upon us, and heaven knows what controversies and contentious decisions await. The nominations went largely as expected, given the award season thus far and the hype associated with particular movies. However, even the nominations weren’t without strange surprises and some glaring omissions.
It’s tough with a film like One Battle After Another, for example, when among its 13 nominations, four of the cast got nods. Yet, the omission of Chase Infiniti feels somehow harsh. But what are the most glaring omissions? Well, worry not, because I’m going to tell you….
Train Dreams
Whilst Train Dreams got deserved Best Picture, screenplay, song and cinematography nods (where it’s arguably a potential frontrunner), one oversight was Joel Edgerton for a best actor role. Now, you might look at what is a pretty strong category, but at the same time, Edgerton’s soulful and quietly complex performance wasn’t just worthy of being in the nominations; it was good enough to potentially push for the trophy itself.
On a year not quite so packed with incredible supporting role performances, William H Macy might have been shown some love, too; but that category might arguably be the strongest this year.
No Other Choice
Now, there can be an array of reasons why films or casts get overlooked during awards season or by the Oscars in particular. Maybe their marketing campaign wasn’t strong enough. Lord knows, Timothee Chalamet has really worn the carpets across the whole season and even before that, making damn sure Marty Supreme (and his admittedly stellar performance) was impossible to ignore.
But this is probably not why No Other Choice picked up precisely zero nominations, despite having some of the strongest reviews of the year (and having been recognised in other award ceremonies). The theory is that Park Chan-wook has been quietly blacklisted, having crossed the picket line during the W.G.A strikes during the production of his show, The Sympathiser. Other theories suggest that Neon pushed other projects harder in the awards run. However, for the film to not even pick up a Best Foreign Language film nomination is a little crazy. Best picture, best actor, screenplay and director were all categories the film would have been more than worthy of too. Likewise, the technical aspects of the film, like sound, editing and cinematography, were all award-worthy.
Sorry, Baby
For me, this one might be the most egregious. One of the indie darlings of the past year, Eva Victor’s passion project (serving as writer, director and lead actress) was received with widespread acclaim. Was it ultimately just too small? Was the money not there to give it a good push?
Victor did receive a single Golden Globe nomination as best actress (in a drama), but ultimately it was completely ignored by the Oscars. Nuanced, insightful, bittersweet and impeccably made, Sorry, Baby deserved a bit of recognition by the academy. It’s easily one of the ten best films of the year, more deserving than some oddly (comparatively) vacuous crowd pleasers among the ten nominees, whilst Victor’s brilliant script was also overlooked. The film was also blessed with beautifully subtle but effective cinematography.
Bugonia
Although the film picked up four nominations, Yorgos Lanthimos has been an Oscar darling of late with the likes of The Favourite and Poor Things. He might consider himself unfortunate not to have received a nomination as best director.
Likewise, one omission many fans have picked up on (and indeed, the in question snubbed gentleman’s wife, Kirsten Dunst) was Jesse Plemons.
Wake Up Dead Man
There are a few categories that feel distinctly lacking in a bit of Knives Out mystery. Rian Johnson’s murder mystery trilogy has been (at least for now) rounded off with a film that’s almost on par with the first and, for many, stronger than Glass Onion. The first two films both picked up nominations for best screenplay, and so it might have felt like three for three was on the cards.
Not so. Arguably, its biggest snub is for cinematography; however, given that Johnson and his DOP, Steve Yedlin, conjured up the best-looking film of the franchise. Granted, it found itself in competition with a strong and gorgeous bunch of films. With really great reviews, the film should have been a shoo-in for a best picture nomination (as an also-ran in fairness). Had the male actor categories not been quite so stacked, in a quieter year, Josh O’Connor may have got some notice, and I’m still personally aggrieved he (and indeed the film) got overlooked for La Chimera two years ago.
Hamnet
Although this film is pure Oscar fodder and has been greeted with the response and recognition it deserved, one name feels a little bit absent. Paul Mescal’s performance was achingly compelling. Again, the male acting categories were exceptionally strong this year, whilst you could argue that Jessie Buckley was just so incredible in the film as to potentially steal a little thunder. After getting nods throughout award season, though, including a Globe nomination, Mescal might have felt like a good bet for an Oscar nomination. It wasn’t to be. Still, Mescal’s star is really on a high. He’s already been nominated for an Oscar a couple of years back for Aftersun, too.
What do you think were the worst snubs for this year’s Oscar nominations? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
