The Best Movies Never Nominated for a Single Oscar

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – February 4, 2020

Last updated: January 24, 2023

Judging from the complaints that pour in each year, the Academy gets many things wrong—including, with surprising regularity, completely ignoring some of each year's most acclaimed films. In the gallery above, you can find the 30 highest-scoring films since 2000 that did not receive any Oscar nominations (in any category). They are ranked by Metascore, but all of these films scored 89 or higher—suggesting massive critical acclaim.

Note that documentaries are excluded (since there are fewer opportunities for those films to receive nominations). Also excluded are movies that qualified for Emmys rather than Oscars (such as the Small Axe films).

Additional content by Keith Kimbell

23 of 38 photo by Cinema Guild

92 #12 (tie): 35 Shots of Rum

Esteemed French director Claire Denis never received better reviews than for this 2008 drama about the evolving relationship between a widower and his college student daughter. Only two films had a higher Metascore in 2009 (when Rum arrived in theaters) but, as was the case with Denis' previous high-water mark Beau Travail, the film was not even submitted by France for Oscar consideration.

The film's star, Mati Diop, is now a director herself, and no stranger to Oscar snubs. Her recent debut film, Atlantics, failed to receive a nomination despite critical acclaim and a Grand Prix win at Cannes.

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