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Academy Awards 2024: 20 Acclaimed Movies With Zero Nominations
The 2024 Oscar nominations highlight Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig's Barbie as frontrunners, while notable films like A24's The Iron Claw and Neon's Origin facing surprising snubs
The nominations for the 2024 Oscars have been announced, marking a significant morning for films such as Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Greta Gerwig's Barbie, and Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things, aligning with earlier predictions. Nolan's epic centered around an atomic bomb secured the lead with an impressive 13 nominations, solidifying its position as a front-runner for the best picture category, having already claimed top honors at the Golden Globes and Critic's Choice Awards earlier in the season.
In the typical fashion of Oscar nomination mornings, numerous critically acclaimed films found themselves without any nominations. A24 secured two best picture nominations for Past Lives and The Zone of Interest, yet experienced disappointment with several other outstanding titles being completely overlooked. The Iron Claw, featuring an award-worthy performance by Zac Efron in the lead role, and Priscilla, deemed one of Sofia Coppola's strongest works, were among those snubbed.
Neon celebrated success with Anatomy of a Fall, but its other awards season contenders, Origin and Ferrari, unfortunately, fell short despite critical acclaim. Notably, even accomplished actors like Nicolas Cage in Dream Scenario and Jessica Chastain in Memory delivered exceptional performances but were overlooked by the Academy. Explore Variety's acclaimed annual list below for a compilation of;
Excellent Films That Did Not Receive Recognition From The Oscars
A Thousand and One
A Thousand and One, A.V. Rockwell's debut feature, claimed the grand jury prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and earned recognition at the Gotham Awards, where Rockwell received the breakthrough director accolade. Teyana Taylor's powerful portrayal of a young mother reuniting with her son garnered several Best Actress nominations. Despite the film's backing by Focus Features, the Oscars overlooked this intimate drama.
The Iron Claw
In the movie The Iron Claw, Zac Efron took on a serious role, trying to redefine his career. Even though his performance was seen as outstanding, the film didn't get an Oscar nomination. The story is about the Von Erich family, who were wrestlers in Texas. They faced personal tragedies while achieving success, and the film highlights this challenging journey.
Priscilla
Cailee Spaeny won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival and got a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Sofia Coppola's Priscilla. However, the Oscars didn't recognize her or Jacob Elordi's strong supporting performance as Elvis, along with Coppola's skillful direction and screenplay. In Variety's review, Spaeny is praised for portraying Priscilla as a typical American girl with a keen spirit, and Elordi is noted for his convincing body language and capturing Elvis's voice better than another actor.
Dream Scenario
A24, known for winning Oscars last year with Everything Everywhere All at Once and Brendan Fraser's best actor performance in The Whale, faced challenges in this year's awards race. While their film Past Lives received nominations, titles like Dream Scenario, Priscilla, and The Iron Claw didn't cut. When Dream Scenario premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Nicolas Cage's performance as a man who became famous for appearing in people's dreams turned him into an unexpected Oscar contender.
All of Us Strangers
One of the highly praised movies that surprisingly didn't get any Oscar nominations is Andrew Haigh's All Of Us Strangers. The film, which appeared on many top 10 lists and received six BAFTA nominations, had a strong campaign for Andrew Scott in the best actor category by Searchlight. However, the film's limited success at the box office might have affected its chances at the Oscars.
Origin
Origin was praised as the seventh-best film of 2023 by Variety critic Peter Debruge, who compared it to the ambitious approach of Roots in addressing the impact of slavery on America. Despite Neon's efforts to promote the film and highlight Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor's powerful lead performance, the Oscars did not recognize it.
Debruge explained that Origin goes beyond tracing ancestry; instead, it explores the roots of a system that dehumanizes one group for the dominance of others. The film draws parallels to Nazi Germany and the Indian caste system, as highlighted by Pulitzer-winning author Isabel Wilkerson.
Memory
Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard received praise at the Venice Film Festival for their roles in Memory. Despite Sarsgaard winning the Best Actor prize, the film couldn't become a strong contender for the Oscars due to budget constraints on its campaign by distributor Ketchup Entertainment. In the movie, Chastain plays Sylvia, a social worker and recovering alcoholic, caring for an old classmate with dementia (Sarsgaard).
Asteroid City
Wes Anderson's movie Asteroid City got mixed reviews, but everyone agrees that the costumes and set design are amazing. Just like all of Anderson's films, it's visually stunning, making it surprising that the Academy didn't nominate it, especially for categories like best production design. This is similar to what happened with another Anderson film, The French Dispatch, which also didn't get any Oscar nominations despite its elaborate production.
Eileen
The daring thriller Eileen was always a bit too bold for the Academy's taste, but maybe one day they'll appreciate unique films like this. Anne Hathaway's captivating and hypnotic performance in a supporting role adds a sexy touch to the movie. Set in the 1960s, the story revolves around the relationship between two women working at a detention center.
Ferrari
Michael Mann's movie Ferrari didn't make it to the Oscars this year, which is a shame because Penelope Cruz created quite a buzz for her performance, even getting a SAG Award nomination for her supporting role. In Variety, Owen Gleiberman ranked Ferrari as the third-best movie of 2023, praising Mann for telling a captivating story about Enzo Ferrari, the famous Italian carmaker, during a crucial three-month period.
Fair Play
Chloe Domont's movie Fair Play, which gained attention at Sundance, could have been a contender for awards, especially for its screenplay. However, Netflix's other movies like Maestro and May December took the spotlight this awards season.
The Killer
David Fincher's movie The Killer was never expected to be in the running for the Best Picture award. However, if you watch this highly entertaining adaptation of Alexis Nolent’s graphic novel, you might agree that it should have been a major contender, possibly even an Oscar favorite for Best Sound and Best Film Editing.
Saltburn
Emerald Fennell, the Oscar-winning director of Promising Young Woman, brought us Saltburn, a movie that became quite polarizing – some people loved it, while others hated it. Even though it had Fennell behind it, there was no guarantee it would win awards from the Oscars. During the season, it gained momentum with Golden Globe nominations for Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike, along with mentions on the BAFTA Film Awards long lists.
Air
Ben Affleck directed a movie called Air, written by Alex Convery, which shares the true story of how Nike's basketball division signed NBA rookie Michael Jordan, creating the famous Air Jordan brand that changed endorsement deals forever. The movie earned $74.7 million globally and received praise from both audiences (scoring an A CinemaScore) and critics.
Cassandro
Gael Garcia Bernal should have been a much bigger contender for an Oscar due to his role in Cassandro. The movie tells the real-life story of Cassandro, an openly gay Mexican wrestler who achieved fame and success in a sport known for its homophobia. Despite Bernal giving one of his most heartfelt and beautiful performances, he has often been overlooked by the Academy.
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
The movie All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, produced by Barry Jenkins for A24, is another exceptional film that the Oscars didn't recognize. Despite its beauty, the Academy found it a bit challenging, given its poetic and artistic style directed by Raven Jackson.
BlackBerry
Glenn Howerton got a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards for his role in BlackBerry, a dark comedy-drama by Matt Johnson about the ups and downs of the smartphone company. Many think Howerton deserved to be considered more seriously for an Oscar.
The Burial
Jamie Foxx received great reviews at the Toronto Film Festival for his role in Maggie Betts' movie The Burial. In the film, he plays a smooth-talking lawyer hired by a funeral home owner, played by Tommy Lee Jones, to help save his family business.
Passages
Passages is a movie set in Paris, focusing on a love triangle involving a movie director (Franz Rogowski), his artist husband (Ben Whishaw), and a grade-school teacher (Adèle Exarchopoulos) he meets one night. Even though Rogowski won the Best Actor award from the New York Film Critics Circle, the film didn't become a big success during the awards season.
Monica
Trace Lysette, known for her role in Transparent, received a well-deserved nomination for Best Lead Performance at the Indie Spirit Awards for her work in Andrea Pallaoro's subtle drama Monica. Unfortunately, this was as far as her chances went in the Oscar season. In the movie, Lysette plays a trans woman who comes back to her estranged family to take care of her dying mother, portrayed by Patricia Clarkson. Lysette brings a touching presence to the lead role, delivering a performance so authentic that even the film's most personal moments feel as emotionally powerful as a grand saga.
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