Concluding our look at good films that were not nominated for best picture, here are 6 films from the 2010s.
Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010, dir by Banksy)
This wonderfully subversive documentary was my second-favorite film of 2010, right behind Black Swan. Was it real or was it all a hoax? In then end, does it matter? This brilliant film definitely deserved to be the first documentary to be nominated for best picture. Instead, sadly enough, it was only nominated for Best Documentary Feature and it lost to the rather boring Inside Job.
Upstream Color (2013, dir by Shane Carruth)
Shane Carruth’s haunting and enigmatic Upstream Color was a film unlike any others. This brilliant film was my favorite of 2013 but, sadly, it was totally snubbed by the Academy.
A Field In England (2014, dir by Ben Wheatley)
Speaking of haunting and enigmatic, A Field In England may not be for everyone but it’s still one of the most memorable films released over the past 6 years. Was it a horror story? Was it a historical heist film? Was it all a hallucination, inspired by eating mushrooms found in the field mentioned in the title? Your guess is as good as mine but you’ll never forget about it, even if the Academy saw fit to snub it.
Calvary (2014, dir by John Michael McDonagh)
This Irish meditation on sin and salvation featured one of Brendan Gleeson’s best performances, a brilliant script, and an unforgettable ending. Sadly, not only was Gleeson snubbed but the Academy ignored the rest of the film as well. Still, it’s one of the best films ever made about being Catholic and Irish in the 21st Century.
Carol (2015, dir by Todd Haynes)
How this film was not nominated for best picture, I’ll never understand. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have never been better. This is a moving and poignant film about two women who, in the end, refuse to allow society to dictate who they are and who they love.
American Honey (2016, dir Andrea Arnold)
In American Honey, Andrea Arnold creates an unforgettable portrait of life on the fringes and she gets a star-making performance from Sasha Lane, as well. Even Shia LaBeouf is tolerable in this film! American Honey was perhaps too long and, narratively, too loose for the Academy’s a taste. That’s a shame because American Honey is a film that future historians will look at when they want to know what America was like in 2016.
And that concludes our look at good films that were not nominated for best picture! Enjoy the Oscars, everyone!
Through the Shattered Lens 