16 Biggest Oscar Upsets Of The 21st Century

The Rightful Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

Following the morally compromising work of a Stasi agent as he is ordered to spy on a playwright during the 1980s in East Germany, The Lives Of Others has been lauded for the authenticity of its portrayal of this politically tumultuous time period. This is especially impressive due to director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (what a name) never having lived in East Germany and only having been a teenager at the time of the Berlin Wall's collapse.

It's a taut thriller full of great performances and more than earns its place on a list of Oscar nominees for Best Foreign Language Film, perhaps even as a winner. The only problem is that Guillermo del Toro's dark fantasy masterwork Pan's Labyrinth also happened to be nominated that year.

A very dark, contemporary take on the fairytale, del Toro's movie combines fantastic practical visuals with a compelling story that follows the protagonist Ofelia as she navigates both the real world and a fantasy land with the boundaries always blurring.

This is another case of originality being shunned for the accepted norms. Political thrillers do make for enjoyable cinema, especially when they are as well executed as The Lives Of Others. However, the trend of neglecting to reward directors with the vision to bring something truly different and challenging to the big screen is very problematic and leads to real upsets like this.