Five cinematic gems that were shut out at the Oscars worth revisiting or checking out

Movies up for awards in 2025 have proven that some films get overshadowed by aggressive media campaigns to win coveted hardware. Before you get wrapped up in this year's race for supremacy, there are films from last year worth revisiting or checking out if you missed them the first time around. These laudable losers received critical acclaim but didn't quite win. Lucky for you, these films provide great watching and will surely spur conversation. With the holiday break upon us, these cinematic gems are worthy of your time.

‘A Complete Unknown’

Timothée Chalamet shines as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” and the title of this film strongly suggests that there is something you should know about the man. Sure, you can read a synopsis about Dylan and his life. But you will be deprived of a performance that is Oscar-nomination worthy, and a history lesson on Dylan’s talent and craft. Chalamet embodies Dylan to reveal how and why he is considered one of America’s great songwriters.

Beyond Chalamet, Monica Barbaro elevates the film as Joan Baez. Her quiet performance earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress (which went to Zoe Saldaña), declaring that she is one truly to watch.

In total, this critical darling garnered 20 nominations across the Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Critics' Choice awards yet came away empty-handed. While it was shut out, “A Complete Unknown” is musically relevant, historically important and cinematically arresting.

‘Hard Truths’

In “Hard Truths,” Marianne Jean-Baptiste reminds us that mental illness has an immense impact on an entire family. Her paranoia sets the stage for a dysfunctional family that walks on eggshells. What makes this film a hard truth is there are no answers provided, making it less of a prescription and more of a depiction of a reality many families are struggling through.

That reality is the special sauce director Mike Leigh brings to this narrative. He shows the intimate and disruptive parts out loud, juxtaposing the love with the challenge. Jean-Baptiste terrorizes her son and husband, and we witness coping mechanisms that help fracture the family. “Hard Truths” presents her as a villain as well as a victim, hurting the people she loves yet trapped in an existence she does not. Her performance garnered BAFTA and Critics’ Choice nominations for a fascinating presentation of a difficult reality. To say she was snubbed by the Oscars is certainly a hard truth. Her nuanced and complex portrayal of Patsy will make you both dislike the character yet sympathize with her. “Hard Truths” presents some hard questions and even harder decisions.

‘Heretic’

If you have been having a debate about religion and religious organizations, “Heretic” might just be the movie you have been craving. Hugh Grant turns his image and one’s blind belief in religion on its head, garnering him Critics' Choice and BAFTA nominations for Best Actor. His embodiment of a heretic is eerily convincing, guaranteeing you will never look at him as solely a rom-com heartthrob. Despite the buzz, by the time the Oscar nominations were announced, Grant didn’t get a nod.

Steeped in the wrapping of a horror film, “Heretic” is devilishly delicious as Grant’s character goes beyond the hypothetical “what would you do in the name of religion” and gives two young missionaries who arrive at his door a real-world scenario to test their dedication. This presentation is a different level of scary visually and physiologically. “Heretic” is a worldly dilemma faced by many believers; a test of faith, a conversation about religion and a question about humanity.

‘The Nickel Boys’

While “Nickel Boys” was nominated for two Oscars (Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay), lost in those accolades were the performances of newcomers Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson and veteran actor Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. These three brought to life a historical tragedy stylized by innovative writer and director RaMell Ross.

“Nickel Boys” follows Elwood Curtis, wrongly convicted and sent to a reform school masquerading as a juvenile institution. Those of color are treated especially harshly. Through hardship and rebellion, Elwood befriends another inmate, Turner; their friendship is lovely and tragic.

Ross uses his creativity to focus less on the brutality and more on the beauty of relationships, fashioning a creative interpretation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor gives a powerful awards-worthy interpretation of a grandmother’s love, balancing the unthinkable with care and affection. “Nickel Boys“ is an examination of racism, rebellion and resilience. It will sadden, inform and inspire.

‘Sing Sing’

“Sing Sing“ may sound like it is a song, but the only music is chords of redemption and rebirth. This movie showcases a theater program, Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), inside the prison where the men learn how to access their feelings versus acting out their fantasies. The program is designed to help inmates reconnect to their humanity.

The film is led by actors Colman Domingo, portraying a wrongly convicted man, and Paul Raci, as the RTA director. However, the real-life Sing Sing Alumni provide the soul that makes this film heartfelt. They provide the emotional punctuation, creating a cinematic gem rather than a formulaic drama. The seamless blend of seasoned actors with former inmates Clarence “Divine Eye“ Maclin and Sean Dino Johnson makes this an explosive exploration in helplessness and healing.

The film shifts from Colman helping inmates to being helped by Clarence, a hardened convict softened by the possibilities of redemption. While the film garnered Oscar nominations for Best Song, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor, much of the attention was focused on Colman’s heartfelt performance. But his on-screen partner, Clarence Macklin was snubbed in what was arguably one of the best supporting actor performances of the year. Unbelievable acting. Undeniable impact.

Recognizing that movies live forever but memories are short, these laudable losers should not be forgotten.