11 Worthy Movies the 2019 Oscars Ignored but Viewers and Critics Loved

The Oscars are one of the most prestigious movie awards. But the movies that are nominated and awarded depends not only on the quality of the movie, but also the politics, the genre, and even the reputation of the actors and the directors. Maybe this is the reason why the Academy ignores great movies every year: many of them were nominated for other awards and even won some of them.

We at Bright Side do our best to be unbiased. This time, we want to draw your attention to the movies that did not get the attention of the Academy, but won over the critics and received other awards.

1. The Rider

In the beginning, this movie might seem like a simple story about the life of a guy from the US: he gets injured, is forced to give up his horse training career, and returns to an Indian reservation. But during the course of the movie, we realize that this is not just a drama about someone’s difficult life. This person is looking for his own identity in the movie. Thanks to the philosophical subcontext, the movie is clear for anyone, no matter where you are from. Because everyone tries to find their place in this world.

• IMDb rating: 7.5

2. Maudie

This is a low-budget movie from the Irish Film Festival. It did not receive any prestigious awards, but many critics called it one of the best movies of 2018. It’s a romantic, funny, and relatable story that tells us that love does not depend on reason or logic. Love can transform a person. The viewers will see the development of the relationship between 2 very ordinary people: a fish seller and a housekeeper with an illness. But thanks to the love of the other person, the housekeeper decides to develop her interest in art and she becomes a successful artist.

• IMDb rating: 7.7

3. Columbus

Here is another powerful drama that didn’t get a lot of attention from the critics. A man from South Korea comes to a small town in the US to take care of his sick father. There, he meets a woman who is in a similar situation. Obviously, they are supposed to have a romantic relationship, just like in any other movie. But instead of a light sentimental story, we see a deep intellectual subcontext and difficult questions about love and family that will make every person think about their own life.

• IMDb rating: 7.2

4. Mandy

This is a psychological thriller about a very fast transformation of a lawful citizen into a violent hunter. A lumberjack lives in a forest with a woman he loves and everything seems okay. But then, the woman is kidnapped. The plot seems trivial but when the main character finds out that the kidnappers are from a religious cult it affects the storyline, the set, and even the soundtrack of the movie, making it absolutely unique.

• IMDb rating: 6.6

5. Kedi

If you are in the mood to watch a kind, motivating movie, this is your best option. This is a very original movie about our pets through their eyes. The movie is set in Istanbul where thousands of cats live. The viewer can walk the paths of the cats, studying the history of the ancient city. You will not only see animals with different personalities and their lives, but also the people who take care of them.

• IMDb rating: 7.8

6. BPM

This is another movie that addresses social problems. This story centers around members of the advocacy group ACT UP Paris at the beginning of the 90s and activists who are trying to draw the public’s attention to the problem of AIDS. The movie is a drama about people’s lives. But there is also a deeper level to it — an attempt to remind us that we should not judge other people and turn a blind eye to their problems because their problems can become our problems. This was such a powerful movie that it received 4 awards in 2017.

• IMDb rating: 7.5

7. The Meyerowitz Stories

This movie is like a novel made up of several short stories. We see the story of a family with all the problems they go through. A loser son and his successful brother, a father who has had a really hard life, and the difficulties of relationships within families. Even though the story is very realistic, it still manages to be pretty funny. Thanks to the humor, the movie sends the message that not everything is lost when there is still love. This movie impressed both its viewers and the critics and received the Palm Dog Award.

• IMDb rating: 6.9

8. Leave No Trace

This is one of the most original movies of the previous year. It’s rare to see a homeless father and his daughter as the main characters of a story, but it turns out that they’re living their lives like this by their own choice. They are happy with their life in the forest, not far from town. But it’s not long before people come to them and try to make them leave their home. This movie makes us look at regular things from a different angle and doubt that the things we’ve deemed as “good” things, are really all that good. It also raises important questions about the place of people in society.

• IMDb rating: 7.2

9. Ingrid Goes West

This is a comedy/drama about modern society with a message claiming that the beautiful picture you see, is not always true. Ingrid is a girl with a mental illness and she has an idol. She follows a celebrity on social media who has thousands of subscribers and a perfect life. At least, this is what it looks like on screen. Ingrid really wants to meet her, even if she has to go to Los Angeles to do it. And the trip is successful: the fan and the celebrity not only meet, but also become friends. And it turns out that social media and reality are 2 very different things.

• IMDb rating: 6.5

10. The Cakemaker

This is one of the most powerful dramas of the past years. Baking is what the main character likes to do, but it’s not his job. The man travels from Germany to Jerusalem in order to meet people who he has never seen before. This movie doesn’t have any expensive special effects, but it has unexpected twists that are only possible at the level of real human connection. Just like any good drama, this movie helps you to understand yourself and others better.

• IMDb rating: 7.2

11. The Tale

This is one of the main Golden Globe nominees. In the center of the movie, there is a conflict between a mother and her daughter, but it’s less about the generation gap and more about social issues and different points of view. Besides, this is a story about how unreliable our memory really is: it erases the episodes from our lives that can scare us or make us sad. As a result, the viewers see 2 different versions of the same event from 2 different people. And the ending shows that there is only one truth.

• IMDb rating: 7.3

The Oscars only draw attention to the biggest movies of the year. You can always find several movies that didn’t get a lot of attention, but really deserved it. Are there any movies that you love, but critics don’t?