2023 saw the hype surrounding movies be the greatest it’s been in years, with such titles as “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” being universally-agreed as the greatest movies of the year. Award shows seem to hold the same opinion, with “Oppenheimer” scoring 7 wins in just the Oscars alone, and “Barbie” rounding up numerous nominations in other major award shows aswell. This much talk from the public and awards from all award shows on the same movies every year can, however, push away smaller, just-as-great movies from the public, and can also raise questions surrounding how genuine such programs are.

Past Lives

In what is my personal favorite movie of the year, “Past Lives” follows two childhood friends who find themselves reconnecting decades after they’ve lost connection. This is one of the movies that was lucky enough to have a little ounce of the fame that the aforementioned titles did, being heavily praised by those who saw it since it’s world-premiere in the prestigious Sundance FIlm Festival. The movie shylessly tackles those “what if…” thoughts everyone has had at least once in their lives, ultimately being a powerful and moving movie that is bound to stay in mind long after seeing it.  

In Water

Directed by Hong Sang-soo, who is essentially the busiest man in the industry (putting out at least two movies every year), “In Water” follows a man who decides to jump the gun and make his own movie with only two other people. It’s a short, intimate movie on the process of filmmaking, and shot in a very interistingly way – mostly out of focus – making for an intriguing watch that might not be everyone’s thing, but for sure needs to find it’s audience. 

Knock in The Cabin

What is probably the most controversial movie on here is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who I believe to be one of the most underestimated directors of our time. The movie follows a family with an adopted daughter who seek a nice vacation in a small cabin in the woods until, one day, they get a knock at their front door from a group of strangers who say one of the members of the family must be sacrificed in order to save the world. It’s a very interesting narrative, and is lathered with incredibly neat camerawork. 

Out of those few movies mentioned, only one was nominated in the “biggest” award show of the world (the Oscars) – “Past Lives.” Another only got attention from smaller festivals and shows, such as the Berlin International Film Festival – “In Water.” And “Knock In the Cabin” got the smaller awards, such as the GLAAD Media Awards.

The growing concern is that these movies are all considered great by multiple different festivals and people and do get some hype, but never seem to get the full attention that they could potentially get if they were more heavily showcased in a program such as the Oscars or the Golden Globes. It also doesn’t help that all these movies were made by either Asian, or people of color – and the Oscars are known for their fair share of controversity whenever it comes to highlighting smaller movies made by people who aren’t white. In fact, below is an infographic on the diversity issue at the Oscars.