10 Movies That Should’ve Been Nominated For Oscars (And Where to Stream Them)

Asghar Farhadi has won the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film twice (for A Separation and The Salesman, respectively). So how the hell did his latest film get overlooked? A Hero builds on Farhadi’s history of creating affecting moral fables that double as compelling portraits of modern Iranian life. If anything, the filmmaker should have also received an Original Screenplay for the film’s deft balance of character work and impassioned criminal-justice system critique. —Abby Monteil

Watch A Hero on Prime Video

2021 was a great year for movie musicals, and it shows in the Oscar nominations — West Side Story is one of this year’s leading nominees, with Cyrano, Encanto, and tick, tick… BOOM! also receiving nods. But the Academy snubbed a film that challenged the boundaries of the genre altogether: Annette.

Led by a powerhouse Adam Driver performance, Leo Carax’s musical fantasia was originally envisioned as a live theatrical presentation accompanying a new album by pop duo The Sparks Brothers. And sure, the movie is a little eccentric for the Academy’s tastes. But if you’re not going to recognize a film with 50-plus original songs at a ceremony dedicated to celebrating cinema, what are we doing? “So May We Start?,” the film’s banger of an opening number, would’ve made for one of the coolest musical performances in recent Oscars memory. –Abby Monteil

Watch Annette on Prime Video

It’s astonishing to remember that legendary screenwriter Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, Raging Bull) only received his first Oscar nomination for his 2019 climate change drama, First Reformed. He deserved similar recognition for writing and directing The Card Counter, a haunting condemnation of American imperialism told through the eyes of a guilt-stricken gambler.

Although Oscar Isaac’s other big 2021 movie, Dune, scored a whopping 10 Academy Award nominations, his work here is a career-best. And let’s not forget his smoldering chemistry with co-star Tiffany Hadish, whose supporting performance as a jaded yet charismatic poker boss is vastly underrated. –Abby Monteil

Rent or buy The Card Counter on VOD

How is it that Joaquin Phoenix was a shoe-in for Best Actor two years ago thanks to his titular role in Joker, but this year, he was left out of talks almost completely? C’mon C’mon was a humble masterpiece from Mike Mills, certainly deserving in categories like Best Acting and Best Original Screenplay, if not more, like Best Director and even Best Picture.

But the person I’d really go to bat for here? Woody Norman. The 13-year-old breakthrough star was a downright revelation in the film, completely inspiring and totally adorable. He’s British, too, meaning he had on an American accent the whole time. The fact that this film earned no nominations (and was barely in talks to receive any) is bonkers. –Fletcher Peters

Rent or buy C'mon C'mon on VOD

With its sweeping vistas and lush, lived-in medieval world, there’s no question that David Lowery’s The Green Knight was one of the most impeccably crafted movies of 2021. It deserved nominations across the Oscars’ technical categories, from visual effects to makeup & hairstyling to production design. But Lowery also doesn’t get enough credit for transforming a classic 14th century poem — Sir Gawain and the Green Knight — into a compelling meditation on masculinity and heroism. In fact, I’d like to personally challenge everyone who overlooked it for Best Adapted Screenplay to a Christmas Game of my own. –Abby Monteil

Rent or buy The Green Knight on VOD

I’m not sure I’ll ever get over the injustice of In The Heights — easily one of the best movie musicals of the past decade — missing out on both the box office and awards season that it so clearly deserved. The first can be explained by the ongoing pandemic and the fact that the film was released on HBO Max at the same time it opened in theaters. But the lack of a single Oscar nomination for the monumental effort that director Jon M. Chu and his team put into bringing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical to the big screen is nothing short of criminal.

No Production Design nod for that showstopping number filmed at a public pool? No Best Actor nomination for Anthony Ramos for being charming AF while singing and dancing some of the most complicated lyrics on Broadway? No Best Picture slot for the musical spectacle that was universally praised by critics? C’mon! Abuela Claudia didn’t have “paciencia y fe” her whole life for it to end up like this. –Anna Menta

Rent or buy In the Heights on VOD

Ruth Negga received a surprise nomination for her performance in 2016’s Loving, which makes the Academy’s refusal to recognize her excellent work in Passing feel like even more of a letdown. Playing Clare, a biracial Black woman who grew up in Harlem but “passed” into 1920s white society as an adult, Negga perfectly captures the loneliness and hunger for connection lurking beneath her character’s breezy exterior.

Her costar, Tessa Thompson, was equally deserving of a nomination for her measured yet simmering performance as Clare’s childhood friend Irene. And the visual language of Eduard Grau’s dreamy black and white cinematography only reinforces the film’s masterful interrogations of identity and colorism, making it a worthy contender for Best Cinematography. —Abby Monteil

Watch Passing on Netflix

On the surface, Pig’s tale of an isolated mushroom forager hunting for his stolen truffle pig seems like little more than an opportunity for Nicolas Cage to imbue a John Wick-esque lead role with his established brand of meme-able histrionics.

That would all be fine and good, but what makes writer-director Michael Sarnoski’s feature debut so stunning is its ability to subvert expectations at every turn. The film weaves devastating explorations of grief and the ways in which commercialism harms art into its well-worn structure, making Sarnoski a worthy contender for original screenplay.

And in case you somehow forgot that the Oscar-winning Cage is one hell of a talent (see: Moonstruck, Adaptation, etc.) here’s your reminder — his work here as a shattered, battering ram of a man is staggering. The Academy could (and should!) have taken advantage of his star power to launch this indie marvel into the awards conversation. — Abby Monteil

Watch Pig on Hulu

Mass, a devastating, poignant and depressingly relevant film, celebrated its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Actor Fran Kranz deserves to be acknowledged by the Academy for his gripping directorial and screenwriting debut that explores the aftermath of a school shooting through a conversation between two sets of parents. Filmed like a theater production, it’s only fitting that this chamber-piece drama is comprised of some of the stage’s most heralded actors who usually are regulated to supporting roles on screen: Martha Plimpton, Jason Isaacs, Ann Dowd and Reed Birney. Each member of this quartet delivers a raw and vulnerable performance worthy of recognition. –Karen Kemmerle

Rent or buy Mass on VOD

 Zola, filmmaker Janicza Bravo’s sophomore outing, is based on a viral Twitter thread by Aziah “Zola” King.  A crime drama, dark comedy and a wild road trip movie all rolled into one sexy and dangerous package, Zola was co-written by Bravo and Broadway darling Jeremy O. Harris.

Although this neon-colored fever dream (photographed by Ari Wegner, who is nominated for an Oscar for her work in The Power Of The Dog) mesmerizes viewers with its vivid characters, crackling dialogue and powerful vibes, it is simply too cool for the Academy and that’s a shame. Guided by Bravo’s sure hand, actors Taylour Paige, Riley Keough and the criminally underrated Colman Domingo turn in some of the best performances of their careers. In a just world, they would all be nominated, but alas. –Karen Kemmerle

Watch Zola on Showtime