10 Best Movies from 2023 That Received No Academy Award Nominations

With the recent announcement of the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards, the best of the best for films from 2023 are given time to shine and be awarded for their massive accomplishments. However, as is the case with nearly every year and on the awards circuit, there are simply too many amazing films released within a single year, leading to many films being overlooked by the Academy. While everyone will be aware of the massive awards players this year such as Oppenheimer and Barbie, the same cannot be said for the films that have been snubbed and overlooked.

While this can apply to an already nominated film being snubbed in specific categories, sometimes a film is so overlooked it cannot achieve a single nomination, despite its massive qualities and accomplishments. It can come as a shock and a shame to see a genuinely great film fail to be recognized by the academy as a nomination alone makes a great difference in the spread and acknowledgment of the film to the public. Even if these films don’t have any nominations, they still deserve the praise and recognition that comes with one.

10 ‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Story’

Director: Davis Guggenheim

One of the most critically acclaimed and beloved documentary films of the year, Still: A Michael J. Fox Story follows the rise of 80s pop culture icon Michael J. Fox, best known as Marty McFly in Back to the Future. On top of his unexpected rise to fame, the documentary takes a deep dive into the terrifying and life-altering Parkinson’s diagnosis in the 90s, and how the actor lived and thrived in spite of his diagnosis. The film follows how one of the most impeccable bright spots in Hollywood goes face to face with an incurable disease.

While documentaries have always been a difficult sell for the wider general audiences, Still was able to strike a chord with many audiences through its powerful and personal look at one of the defining icons of a generation. The documentary thrives off of the perspective of Fox, who is as likable and powerful as ever, making his story and difficulties that much more powerful and effective on-screen. However, the film was shockingly not given a Best Documentary Feature nomination in favor of more politically charged and harrowing documentaries such as 20 Days in Mariupol.

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9 ‘Beau is Afraid’

Director: Ari Aster

The latest film from modern horror visionary Ari Aster, Beau is Afraid follows the story of Beau (Joaquin Phoenix), a man riddled with paranoia and anxiety, attempting to live his life hour by hour. However, after some shocking news, he embarks on a strange and unexpectedly perilous journey back home to his mother. In the process, Beau meets many increasingly strange individuals and wild and psychedelic experiences as he attempts to find his way back home.

While Beau is Afraid is far from a standard horror affair, its zany execution combined with its daunting 3-hour runtime made it a difficult sell as a nominee in the eyes of the Academy. However, the artistry and filmmaking chops on display are visibly present to anyone who has seen the film, with aspects of the film such as production design and editing deserving to be recognized for their hard work. This is all on top of the brilliant and hilarious lead performance from Phoenix, a performance that elevates and amplifies the entire film’s themes and most notable sequences.

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8 ‘The Iron Claw’

Director: Sean Durkin

The Iron Claw tells the heartbreaking true story of the Von Erich brothers, a family of competitive wrestlers who made history in their attempts to reach the top throughout the early 1980s. Under the guise of their harsh and relentless father, each of the brothers has their chance in the ring, competing for the glory of their family. However, numerous tragedies continue to affect the family, with no end in sight to the hardships that they have to face, with the eldest brother Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron) failing to handle the constant tragedy.

The Iron Claw made a massive splash as one of the most tear-jerking and emotionally resonating films of the year, complete with a powerful lead performance from Efron. However, the film had several hurdles that stopped it from achieving awards recognition at the Oscars. Most notably, it was another A24 release, forced to share the spotlight with Best Picture nominees Past Lives and The Zone of Interest, which combined with its late December release date failed to give it the momentum or attention required to earn a nomination.

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7 ‘Fallen Leaves’

Director: Aki Kaurismäki

One of the most beloved and critically acclaimed foreign language films of the year, Fallen Leaves is a Finnish love story between a supermarket shelf-stocker and an alcoholic sandblaster. After accidentally becoming a part of each other’s lives, they attempt to face the hardships of poverty that are facing them to make a genuine effort at the love that they share for one another. It proves to have both its positives and its negatives, as it becomes an attempt to balance this new relationship with the hardships of their completely different lives.

Fallen Leaves was easily considered to be one of the frontrunners to be nominated for Best International Film this year, yet was shockingly overlooked despite its massive critical reception. The film’s poignant and powerful portrayal of love was easily one of the best of the year, and while it failed to earn a nomination, it will continue to grow a following in the years to come thanks to its outstanding quality.

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6 ‘BlackBerry’

Director: Matt Johnson

One of many corporate brand biopics that were released during the year, BlackBerry follows the story of the legendary cell phone brand that took the world by storm with its revolutionary cellular technology. However, the story of BlackBerry is as much defined by its monumental success as it is defined by an equal amount of chaos, scrambling, and corruption, resulting in the eventual demise of the company as a whole.

Especially when compared to the other corporate biopics of the year, such as Air and Flamin’ Hot, which can feel at times like feature-length commercials, BlackBerry is much more cynical and grounded in its approach. It isn’t afraid to have its characters in moral grey areas with highs and lows as it follows a highly engaging story filled with highly entertaining characters and pitch-perfect comedy. On top of deserving recognition for its terrific screenplay, the film also features a stand-out performance from Glenn Howerton, who easily could have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

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5 ‘Priscilla’

Director: Sofia Coppola

The latest film from legendary female director Sofia Coppola, Priscilla shows the often untold and forgotten story of Priscilla Presley, seeing her famous relationship with the king of rock from her perspective. With their love starting when she was at an incredibly young age, the film sees how she grew up in the wild world of fame and glory, as well as having to handle the more difficult sides of Elvis. Their eventual marriage comes with a great deal of hurdles and turbulence, as Priscilla has to look inside herself and weigh the pros and cons of staying with Elvis.

As is the case of all of Sofia Coppola’s films, Priscilla deals with the powerful and resonating themes of female youth, with the story of Priscilla fitting perfectly with the tenets of Coppola as a filmmaker. However, Elvis as a figure was already a part of an award-contending biopic in Baz Luhrmann‘s Elvis the previous year, a film that is much more energetic and crowd pleasing than Priscilla. While all the attention surrounding Elvis was seemingly used up in the previous year, this doesn’t stop Priscilla from being worthy of recognition, especially with great lead performances from Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi.

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4 ‘The Taste of Things’

Director: Tran Anh Hung

France’s submission for the Best International Feature award over the Best Picture nominated Anatomy of a Fall, The Taste of Things follows the story of Eugenie, an esteemed cook having worked under a man named Dodin for the last 20 years. Their long-lasting professional relationship soon takes a turn for the romantic, as the dishes that they begin to create find ways to impress even the most esteemed chefs and critics across the world.

Even if not as much of an awards’ player as Anatomy of a Fall, The Taste of Things was still critically acclaimed and beloved enough to be considered a shoo-in for the Best International Feature award. However, just as was the case with Fallen Leaves, the film was surprisingly looked over, despite its effective themes that easily transverse and connect across all cultures worldwide. The film is still definitely worth a watch, especially for those who want to see arguably some of the most delicious and mouthwatering food to ever grace the big screen.

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3 ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’

Director: Kelly Fremon Craig

Adapted from the classic Judy Blume novel, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is a coming-of-age comedy-drama that follows the story of eleven-year-old Margaret Simon, dealing with the struggles of growing up in the 70s. As if things weren’t already difficult for Margaret, she soon learns that her family is moving from New York City into a New Jersey suburb, where Margaret will have to meet new friends and be away from her grandmother. While initially hesitant, she soon takes a liking to her new home, yet it unexpectedly sets into motion a dialogue about her religious identity.

The original novel was already considered by many to be a classic, and this film only further cemented and encapsulated the struggles of adolescence perfectly into the medium of film. The film certainly has the level of quality to be compared to other awards contenders, but like many other films before its time, the film was a victim of being released too early in the year, with its wide release being in April. Still, the film was good enough to have been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as featuring one of the best supporting performances of the year from Rachel McAdams.

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2 ‘Asteroid City’

Director: Wes Anderson

One of many films directed by Wes Anderson to be snubbed by the academy, Asteroid City is a story within a story that follows a quirky 1950s desert town in the middle of its yearly junior stargazer convention. Families of all different types have traveled across the country for the festivities, yet it is suddenly put to a halt when the convention is interrupted by the appearance of a real-life alien. The town is soon placed on complete lockdown by the government, with none of the families being allowed to leave until the situation is deemed to be under control.

While Anderson has certainly been recognized by the academy in the past, between his best picture nominated The Grand Budapest Hotel and even his frontrunning nominated short film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Still, the beauty and mastery on display in Asteroid City is a sight to behold, and it’s a genuine shock that the film isn’t up for awards such as Best Editing, Best Cinematography, or Best Production Design. It’s a genuine shame, as the fan-favorite director has still never won an Academy Award despite his prolific and iconic catalog of films.

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1 ‘All of Us Strangers’

Director: Andrew Haigh

All of Us Strangers follows the story of neighbors Adam and Harry (played by Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal), who have a chance encounter that slowly leads to them beginning to form a relationship. However, the oncoming feelings caused by the duo becoming closer to one another begin to massively impact Adam on an emotional level. This feeling is only compounded after he visits his childhood home and realizes that his long-dead parents are not only alive, but look the same age as they did on the day that they supposedly died 30 years ago.

All of Us Strangers is a film powered and amplified by emotionally resonating and heartfelt sequences that tug at one’s heartstrings and act as a perfect reflection of the struggles that come with coming out as LGBTQ+. The film balances these emotions beautifully, allowing the triumphant performances to lead the way for its deeply impactful themes and heart-wrenching story. Especially for one of the most socially relevant and powerful dramas to be released this year, it’s a genuine disservice that the film didn’t earn a single nomination for everything that it does right.

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NEXT: The 30 Best Movies of 2023