While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is globally accepted as the greatest validating body for films and people who are involved in making films, there have been many instances where people have disagreed with their decisions. Historically, Citizen Kane losing out Best Picture to How Green Was My Valley, Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick never winning Best Director, Saving Private Ryan losing to Shakespeare in Love can be remembered as some of the biggest snubs.
However, there is a different level of heartbreak for wonderful films that didn’t even get a single nomination. On the 92nd Oscars, these were aplenty, so much so that not only netizens but some celebrities also voiced their displeasure about them.
Let us take a look at the films that didn’t get a single Oscar nomination despite being favourites at Oscars 2020:
Uncut Gems
Adam Sandler’s anxiety-inducing Uncut Gems did not get a single Oscar nomination despite it being a fan-favorite. Sandler broke the mould he was so often typecast in and reminded people how talented he really is. The Sefdie Brothers directorial was all people could talk about in the week’s following its release and there was an even bigger campaign by disappointed fans who thought the film deserved atleast Best Actor and Best Director nominations. Fans weren’t the only people voicing their disappointment, Sandler’s long-time co-star Jennifer Aniston gave him a shoutout while accepting a Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) award for The Morning Show. She said, “Adam Sandler. Your performance is extraordinary and your magic is real, buddy. I love you.”
The Farewell
When Awkwafina made history at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards by being the first Asian-American woman to win Best Actress, fans were sure the next step would be an Oscar nomination. Not only was Awkwafina shamefully snubbed, so was director Lulu Wang, who created a deeply personal and beautiful story of a family saying goodbye to their ill matriarch. The Farewell’s Oscar nomination would have been an important step towards the much needed inclusivity by the body. Fans were mad for sure, so were critics. Perhaps the most iconic form of rebellion was Natalie Portman’s coat in which she embroidered the names of all the female directors snubbed by the Academy. “Wang” was one of the first names etched on top.
Midsommar
It was beyond people’s imagination how Ari Aster’s Midsommar did not get a single Oscar nomination, not even for cinematography or production design. The film-festival favourite was uncomfortable, graphic and unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Florence Pugh, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Little Women also gave an equally skilled, if not more, performance in Midsommar and deserved a nod for it too. Probably the film was too disturbing for the Academy. However, people can find solace in the fact that it is, and will be in the future, referred to as a cult classic.
Queen & Slim
If Daniel Kaluuya’s performance in Get Out scared the daylights out of you, watching him in this film could evoke a very different feeling. A story that is, unfortunately more relevant as ever today, Queen & Slim saw debutante director Melina Matsoukas taking Lena Waithe’s flawless script and literally running with it. Both Kaluuya and Jodi Turner-Smith gave unforgettable performances as the duo whose first date goes awry. The film’s aesthetic sense made it a pleasure to go on the cinematic journey. All of this made it even sadder when the film failed to get a single nod from the Academy. Probably the body’s long-standing reputation as ‘so white’ might also be a reason why a film that talks about systemic racism and power-dynamics was left out.
The Report
A real-life story based on the team who exposed American intelligence CIA’s torture of suspected “terrorists” post 9/11. The Report is tonally like Spotlight which won Best Picture in 2016, in the sense that it is a no-nonsense depiction of very real investigation. Hence it was clearly very surprising when it did not receive a single nomination. Even Annette Benning, who received a Golden Globe nod was thought to be a favorite for the Best Supporting Actress category. However, the film still has a very strong fan-base and has received critical acclaim for its brave story-telling.
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