Oscars: Every Best Picture Nominee Of The 2010s - Ranked Worst To Best

18. Her

There's a bit of a sad-boy air around Her, in the mopey, self-serious way director Spike Jonze captures the budding relationship between Theodore and his A.I. companion Samantha. Fortunately, for the most part, Jonze tackles the story with a decent amount of self-awareness and tenderness to bring this unlikely romance to life, and make it feel genuinely human.

There's both humour and tragedy to be found in their attempts to connect physically and mentally, and their eventual, divergent understanding of love as a concept. The premise could have devolved into a student-grade message about how machines are replacing real human connection, but Jonze never succumbs to such a temptation, instead finding the humanity in every scenario.

It's not just the romance that's so compelling though, but Jonze's vision of the future as a whole. Its sleek, pastel design is distinctively futuristic, yet believable enough to be an extension of the world we live in today. It's not quite a dystopia but not a utopia either, and makes this weird relationship between a man and his stupid, sexy computer come across as that much more believable.

17. The Shape Of Water

Guillermo Del Toro absolutely loves movies. That passion for the medium comes through in each one of his pictures, but never quite as much as it does in The Shape of Water. A stunning mix of classic fairytale designs and Old Hollywood aesthetics, Del Toro's latest is a love-letter to the kind of stories that made cinema so enduring, all wrapped up in the kind of quirky, monster-movie premise only he can pull off so effortlessly.

Outside of its more obviously dazzling affectations though - including Sally Hawkins' mute performance, the sexy fish-man romance itself, or the heartwarming fantasy musical number - The Shape of Water resonated so much because it's a story about outsiders. It's a story about people on the fringes, who live, love and want as much as anyone else. A story about connection and intimacy and the human spirit overcoming all of the social barriers put in its way on a daily basis.

Shape is timeless in a way that will keep it relevant in a way so many Oscar winners simply no longer are.

JB

16. Moonlight

One of the biggest tragedies in the history of the Oscars is that Moonlight will forever be known as "that film whose Oscar was accidentally given to La La Land." From the moment that mishap occurred, the conversation on Barry Jenkins' haunting meditation on identity, black masculinity and sexuality changed to minimise how brilliant Moonlight really is.

Sure, it may not have been better than La La Land, or even as much of an "Oscar film," but sometimes those are the most important victories and nobody could say that the beautifully shot, devastatingly written coming-of-age drama didn't deserve heady praise. Nor could they complain about the attention given to Trevante Rhodes and Mahershala Ali, who are both stunning, or André Holland, who is just as great in a far more subtle role.

SG

15. Whiplash

Some films could be accused of rushing. Others, dragging. Not so Whiplash, the film that announced Damien Chazelle to the world as a director to sit up and take note of.

Stunningly edited by Tom Cross, and with two great performances at its centre - especially a detestable J.K. Simmons - Whiplash is a whip-smart drama that is fuelled by intensity - it grabs a hold of you early, and forces you not to move until that mesmerisingly closing sequence.

Now that IS my tempo.

JH