From Everything Everywhere All at Once sweeping up almost every category to two big wins for Indian cinema, the 95th Academy Awards gave us some well-deserved victories. But there will always be some remorse for those films and artists who won’t go home with the prized golden statuette in hand. This year, several excellent performances won over both audiences and critics, leaving us spoilt for choice.
Here are some of the biggest snubs from the 2023 Oscars:
1. Angela Bassett of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for Best Supporting Actress
Bassett was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She lost out to Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once). Although Curtis has had an expansive career and an impressive performance in the undisputed best film of this year, one can’t help but feel for Angela Bassett’s loss. Earlier this year, she took home a Golden Globe for the same role.
2. Mandy Walker of Elvir for Best Cinematography
The Australian cinematographer is the first female director of photography to win the award for Outstanding Cinematography at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards. Sadly, she lost out at the Oscars to James Friend, whose work in All Quiet on the Western Front has received immense critical acclaim. Still, it feels unfair (to say the least) that no woman has ever won in this category before. Last year, Ari Wegner came very close to creating history with The Power of the Dog, but ultimately did not take home the award.
3. Steven Speilberg of The Fabelmans for Best Director
It’s been 24 years since the iconic filmmaker won an Oscar for his direction. The curse continues. The Fabelmans was up for seven nominations in total, but lost out in every category. It could have been Speilberg’s chance to win a third award for Best Director, but this time, it was not to be. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert bagged the prize for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
4. The Banshees of Inisherin
The Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson starrer was up for nine awards, tied with All Quiet on the Western Front for being the second-most nominated film. The latter bagged four awards, but The Banshees of Inisherin returned empty-handed. The Irish film received praise for performances by Farrell, Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, and had secured nominations for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Original Score and Film Editing.
5. Tár
Cate Blanchett delivered one of her most unforgettable performances in this film about a classical musician. Despite being nominated for Best Picture, Actress, Director, Original Screenplay, Cinematography and Film Editing, it did not emerge victorious in any category. Todd Field’s film was a riveting watch that was appreciated by audiences, and it would have been great to see Blanchett bring home an Oscar.
6. Stephanie Hsu of Everything Everywhere All at Once for Best Supporting Actress
Yes, EEAAO won seven Oscars and dominated the entirety of the award season. But Stephanie Hsu’s performance was something truly special, and definitely among the best we watched this year. She lost out to Jamie Lee Curtis in the Best Supporting Actress category. They were both nominated for EEAAO, so it’s still a win for the most-awarded film of all time, but it did hurt to see her lose.
7. Paul Mescal of Aftersun for Best Actor
First, he was the endearing Connell in Normal People. Then, he had fans swooning over his role in Aftersun, for which he received a nomination in the Best Actor category. The award ultimately went to Brendan Fraser for his stellar comeback in The Whale. Paul Mescal is still a relative newcomer compared to the other nominees, though, and he’ll have many more chances to win in the coming years.
