Oscars 2019: 13 Biggest Acting Snubs

Released all the way back in February of 2018, Alex Garland's Annihilation was all-but-buried by Paramount upon release. The distributor sold off the international rights to Netflix and didn't put hardly any money into advertising the sci-fi film. While this may have adversely affected the film's initial box-office take, it luckily has not stopped film fans from discovering it for themselves and realizing just how incredible of a film it is.

While Annihilation could have easily been nominated in any number of categories (from technical aspects to Garland's direction, this thing is astonishing) one of the biggest crimes is that there was no love for Natalie Portman's lead performance as Lena or Gina Rodriguez's head-turning supporting turn as Anya.

For Portman, the snub is doubly malicious as she also could have very easily been nominated for her so-bonkers-it's-brilliant performance in Vox Lux. As Lena, Portman gives a distant and layered performance, one that actively enhances the film and the thematic subtext Garland is weaving. It's a staggering accomplishment that allows for the climax's introspection to be absolutely devastating.

Rodriguez on the other hand swings for the fences as Anya in a way that few beyond fans of her work on the underappreciated Jane the Virgin could have predicted. As a member of the team who loses her mind midway through the journey, Rodriguez sinks her teeth into the meaty role with vigor and delivers one of the best supporting turns of the whole year.