Oscars: 10 Films That Should Have Won Best Picture (But Didn't)

Last year’s Oscars mixed things up with its host-less event, yet continued its tradition of undeserving winner with Green Book taking the top prize. There were other deserving winners such as Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born, however it was Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma that stunned critics and audiences alike with its naturalistic, black and white portrayal of the early 1970s in Mexico City.

Roma’s observational style, conveyed through its cinematography and story structure, allowed for a different kind of emotional experience, compared with a more traditionally told story. Shots are long and uninterrupted; there are long segments devoid of dialogue; and often the sound of the city allowed audiences to soak up the atmosphere taken straight from the director’s memory.

On Oscars night however, Roma had two things going against it. Firstly, it was a subtitled film leaving it with a lesser chance of receiving the votes it needed. Secondly, it was Netflix’s first foray into award season – a company that for the longest time was disliked by many Academy voters.

While Roma’s nomination was a step in the right direction, it’s loss was another case of Oscar politics peaking it’s head out from obscurity.