The Academy Awards are supposed to recognize the best of the best, but there are plenty of movies from the 2020s that were overlooked for Best Picture at the Oscars. Award shows are both an exciting celebration of film, and something of a divisive subject, and the Oscars are especially controversial.
Though the awards have been given out for nearly 100 years, the Academy has yet to find a way to please everyone, and consider every film. Because of the rather narrow parameters by which the Academy considers films for Oscars, plenty of movies from genres like science fiction or horror have been outright ignored over the decades.
This issue is exacerbated by the rise of modern media, and there are literally thousands of films that hit theaters around the globe every year. While some movies were never in contention for Oscar consideration, there have been quite a few gems from the 2020s that were shockingly overlooked.
Some of the overlooked movies were nominated for lower categories, or shoved away in Best Foreign Language Film where they weren’t given a chance to compete. Others were completely snubbed by the Academy, or didn’t fit the profile of a film that is “Oscar-worthy”. Regardless, the 2020s have been a goldmine for movies that didn’t get the proper award buzz.
10
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
The Best Godzilla Movie In Decades
Godzilla Minus One
8/10
- Release Date
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November 3, 2023
- Runtime
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124 minutes
- Director
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Takashi Yamazaki
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Ryunosuke Kamiki
Koichi Shikishima
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Minami Hamabe
Noriko Oishi
Over half-a-century into the franchise’s run, it seemed that the best Godzilla movies were in the past. However, Godzilla Minus One proved that the beloved giant monster still had a lot left to give. The prequel film returned the franchise to its roots, and told a compelling story set in the aftermath of World War II in Japan.
Godzilla was a terrifying threat once again, and the movie balanced pure horror with heart-wrenching drama in equal measure. A tearjerking Godzilla film was never in the offing before, but Minus One focused on the cinematic aspects first and foremost. It won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, but deserved so much more than a technical accolade.
Related
How Godzilla Minus One Made Godzilla Both Stronger & Weaker Than Ever
On one hand, the version of the kaiju seen in Godzilla Minus One is weaker than ever. But in one regard, he’s at the height of his capabilities.
9
Decision To Leave (2022)
A Stunning Detective Story That Was Oddly Overlooked
A few years after Parasite broke new boundaries for South Korean cinema worldwide, Decision to Leave seemed like a worthy successor to the former film’s Oscar wins. Unfortunately, Park Chan-wook’s unique detective drama was largely overlooked by the Academy, though it did earn a spot on the shortlist for Best International Feature Film.
A few years after Parasite broke new boundaries for South Korean cinema worldwide, Decision to Leave seemed like a worthy successor
Using interesting visuals and even stronger performances, the movie is a slow-burning ride that eschews traditional detective story tropes. The romance is really the movie’s biggest asset, and it manages to balance all of its disparate parts quite effectively. There is a playfulness that intentionally clashes with the darker themes, and Decision to Leave is anything but pedestrian.
8
Zola (2020)
The A24 Romp Walked So Anora Could Run
The films of A24 are diverse, and Zola is made in the company’s independent tradition. Adapted from a real-life social media story, the film blends dark comedy with crime, and is a movie that has to be seen to be believed. It intentionally blurs the line between fact and fiction, and is unflinching in its raw humor.
Zola got no attention from the Academy, though it did perform well at other award shows. It was just too small to gain a lot of mainstream attention, and the Oscars overlooked the film largely because everyone else did. However, it did help pave the way for a film like Anora to win Best Picture a few years later.
7
I’m Thinking Of Ending Things (2020)
Charlie Kaufman Is Not Stranger To The Oscars
Writer/director Charlie Kaufman is one of the few intellectual filmmakers who has found consistent success in Hollywood without having to compromise his complex visions. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is perhaps the most Kaufman-esque film so far, and it uses surrealism to explore a lot of the creator’s pet themes.
Charlie Kaufman won the Best Original Screenplay award for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The Netflix exclusive was anchored by brilliant performances from Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons, but it had other legends like Toni Collette and David Thewlis in prominent roles. Despite checking a lot of the boxes that the Academy traditionally loves, the 2020 streamer got no nominations at the Oscars and was largely buried on the back pages of Netflix.
6
Asteroid City (2023)
One Of The Few Wes Anderson Films To Score No Major Nominations
Since his triumphant debut in the 1990s, Wes Anderson’s films have been on the cutting edge of mainstream cinema. However, his 2023 film Asteroid City is one of his few outings that was completely ignored by the larger award shows, and especially the Oscars. Hyperstylized as always, the period comedy had a bit more heart than its predecessor.
Boiling his methods down to a pure science, Asteroid City felt like the culmination of the director’s 30-year pursuit of style. On top of that, it was humorous and heartwarming, with a cast that was jam-packed with award-winning legends. Nevertheless, Anderson’s ’50s opus was eschewed by the Academy Awards, and he still awaits his first big win.
5
Master Gardener (2022)
Paul Schrader Hit All The Right Notes
After the success of First Reformed, writer/director Paul Schrader was back in the public consciousness again. However, Master Gardener continued his hot streak, but was not nearly as popular on the award circuit. Complete with Schrader’s dour themes and abundantly dark tone, the movie seemed like a recipe for success, but evaded notice.
An Oscar campaign may have yielded some results, but that takes money.
Joel Edgerton’s performance is one of the best of his career, and Schrader’s screenplay is unsurprisingly masterful. However, the small scale of the movie is likely what turned off the Academy, and it was a low-budgeted indie that got great reviews but little else by way of attention. An Oscar campaign may have yielded some results, but that takes money.
4
Tick, Tick…Boom! (2021)
One Of The Academy’s Most Glaring Omissions
Musicals are usually a big hit at the Academy Awards, but the understated Tick, Tick…Boom! was relegated to other categories and wasn’t considered for Best Picture. The Andrew Garfield vehicle dramatized the life of RENT playwriter Jonathan Larson, and is arguably one of the actor’s best performances.
However, the musical was also on a much smaller scale than many of its contemporaries, and was not nearly as over-the-top as other recent nominees like West Side Story or The Greatest Showman. It got terrific reviews, but its Netflix release didn’t do it any favors with the Academy. Fortunately, Garfield did score a Best Actor nomination.
3
White Noise (2022)
A Future Cult Classic From Noah Baumbach
Noah Baumbach might be best known for being one half of the creative team behind Barbie, but he’s an accomplished filmmaker in his own right. 2022’s White Noise adapts the complex eponymous novel, and the film mostly confounded audiences and critics when it dropped on Netflix. Naturally, the divisive film didn’t get any Oscar notice.
Mixing dark comedy with heady themes like death, infidelity, and addiction, the movie is a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig are inspired in the lead roles, and it’s one of the most stylized movies of the 2020s without really trying too hard. While its release went unnoticed, White Noise is destined to be a cult classic.
2
I Saw The TV Glow (2024)
A Divisive Horror Film That Stood No Chance At The Oscars
Indie films are already at a disadvantage at major award shows, and genres like horror stand almost no chance. I Saw the TV Glow checks both boxes, and is a mesmerizing descent into concepts like gender dysphoria and nostalgia. The horror is rather light, but when mixed with its surrealism, the 2024 film is removed from mainstream tastes entirely.
I Saw the TV Glow divided critics and audiences, and its limited release meant that it didn’t get the widespread attention that other films did. Unsurprisingly, the Oscars passed over Jane Schoenbrun’s horror opus, though they may get another crack at awards success in the future.
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1
Perfect Days (2023)
Perfect Days Is A Perfect Movie From Start To Finish
Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days is one of the most poignant and pleasant films in recent memory, and deserves the lofty distinction of being called a perfect movie. The slow-moving character study is charming and real, and it draws the viewer into an inward experience that is very difficult to convey on the big screen.
Sadness and joy exist simultaneously, and Perfect Days is as true to life as movies get. It did get some attention at the Oscars, and it was nominated for Best Foreign Feature Film. However, Perfect Days deserved consideration outside just that single category at the Academy Awards, and a Best Picture nod was more than earned.
