Oscars 2021 Nominations: Biggest Surprises And The Worst Snubs

6. Surprise: Sound Of Metal - Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor And Best Original Screenplay

Judas And The Black Messiah Movie Daniel Kaluuya
Amazon Studios

Sound of Metal looked for a while like a film that was only being recognised for Riz Ahmed's incredible performance and nothing else. However, it is a pleasant surprise to see the Academy dish out nominations for Best Picture, Best Screenplay and for Ahmed's co-star Paul Raci.

While Ahmed's nomination was all but guaranteed (alongside his fellow consistent Best Actor nominees: Boseman, Hopkins and Oldman) this might truly be the biggest surprise of the 93rd Academy. Some films act as nothing more than an excuse for an actor to transform but receive no other nominations, such as Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl and Charlize Theron in Monster. Sound of Metal looked like it might be nothing more than a vehicle for Ahmed's Best Actor nod until the nominations were revealed.

While Original Screenplay looks likely to go to Promising Young Woman and Best Supporting Actor will be rewarded to Daniel Kaluuya for Judas and the Black Messiah, recognising this small American indie film is a reward in itself.

Contributor

An avid cinephile, love Trainspotting (the film, not the hobby), like watching bad films ironically (The Room, Cats) and hate my over-reliance on brackets (they’re handy for a quick aside though).