Oscars 2019: 10 Great Films That Didn't Get A Single Nomination (And What They Deserved)

2. Sorry To Bother You

Sorry To Bother You Lakeith Stanfield Tessa Thompson
Annapurna

What It Deserved: Original Screenplay

The Academy obviously wasn't ready for Sorry To Bother You. The film, which didn't mount much of a campaign (as writer/director Boots Riley has been discussing here), is the kind you should go into as cold as possible, and admittedly one that won't work for everyone.

Starting off with the premise of following a call centre worker who discovers his 'white' voice, Sorry To Bother You is the most surprising film of 2018 - just when you think you've got it all figured out, it makes a sudden left turn and ramps up the insanity. And yet Riley's screenplay never loses control, even when the twists get a little more outlandish.

For all its endless invention, it's also consistently funny, and still manages to be sharply satirical too, dealing with issues from race to capitalism in ways you'd never quite expect. This is by some distance the most original screenplay of the year, and deserved to be recognised for such.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.