An Oscar is one of the most prestigious awards any filmmaker can receive. To be awarded an Oscar is like an overall stamp of approval for both the film and those that worked on the film. In order to qualify for Best Picture, the film must meet stringent criteria and the board has even recently established representation and inclusion standards that must be met for a film to even be considered for a nomination. The Annual Academy Awards have a variety of categories to be nominated for including everything from costumes to score.
One specific category is the most coveted and that is Best Picture. Best Picture is what people most anticipate when watching the award ceremony, it can tell viewers what the film experts believe to be the best pieces of work. For example, current contenders for Best Picture 2022 are believed to be Dune, The Power of Dog, and Belfast. These films have generated a lot of buzz and have received overall positive critical reviews. Here are the Best Picture winners from 2010 to 2019, ranked.
10 Green Book (2019)
Based on a true story, Green Book the story of Donald Shirley and Tony “Lip” Valleglonga. It follows Don, a Black pianist on a tour in the deep south who hires Tony Lip as a driver and protection. Set in 1962, before National integration had been declared, racism runs deep. Despite it all, these two men form a bond over the danger they face. While the film was highly praised by people like Quincy Jones, who knew the real Don Shirley, it was also criticized as portraying Tony Lip as a “white saviour” who redeems himself by helping Don. Viggo Mortenson who portrayed Tony on-screen fought back against the backlash regarding this criticism.
9 The Artist (2012)
Set in the 1920s, The Artist is a silent film that revolves around silent film actor George Valentin who discovers his love for Peppy, a young actress. The married George struggles in his personal life as sound in films begins to gain popularity, posing a great threat to his career. The Artist is a wonderful piece of work that was put together in the same style that a movie of the silent era would have been. The film relies on visuals, music, and intertitles to aid in the storytelling process. It ranks at the bottom of the list because unfortunately, audiences today could not appreciate the art with some movie-goers even demanding their money back for the lack of dialogue.
8 Argo (2013)
Argo is based around the 1979 takeover of the U.S embassy in Iran in which hostages were taken. Six of these hostages manage to escape and extractor Tony Mendez is sent in to get those people out. By posing as a Hollywood producer, Mendez’s goal is to pass off the hostages as his “film crew”. Argo is praised for the acting, particularly from the supporting actor's John Goodman and Alan Arkin. That said, the film has some historical inaccuracies and minimizes the role the Canadian Government played in the extraction of the hostages as well as putting the diplomats in danger around every corner when the reality was there was no imminent danger posed to the diplomats.
7 Spotlight (2016)
Spotlight revolves around a group of journalists investigating allegations against a priest accused of molesting over 80 boys. The group interviews victims and works to uncover sensitive documents, the team will not rest until they prove the cover-up of this abuse by the Roman Catholic Church. With Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo at the forefront of the action, Spotlight does exactly what the title states. Based on actual events that won The Globe a Pulitzer prize, the film shines a light on a topic that most people don’t speak of and some will refuse to acknowledge. Some criticized the film for how it portrayed the Church in handling these cases of abuse and left out how the priests involved were evaluated to see if they could return to their post.
6 The Hurt Locker (2010)
The Hurt Locker is based on the true story of a freelance journalist who was embedded in the bomb squad in Iraq. The Hurt Locker follows a bomb squad that receives a new leader Staff Sargeant William James after the sudden death of their last team leader. Along with Best Picture, The Hurt Locker also won Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, the first Best Director to be won by a woman director (Kathryn Bigelow). However, the film was criticized by Iraq War veterans as inaccurate and more of a “Hollywood version” of the war, sacrificing accuracy for the sake of entertainment.
5 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2015)
Birdman revolves around Riggan Thomson, a former silver-screen hero known as “Birdman” who hopes to bring the spark back to his career through a Broadway performance. We watch as Riggan struggles to revive his flatlining career while also keeping his family happy. This black comedy was an unexpected success starring Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. Birdman was shot as if it were one long-shot, a cinematic technique in which the camera follows a subject with no cuts in between earning it Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards. Along with Best Picture, Birdman was also awarded Best Original Screenplay, Best Director.
4 12 Years a Slave (2014)
12 Years a Slave follows the journey of free black man Soloman from the North who gets kidnapped and is sold into slavery in the Deep South. Twelve years into his slavery, he meets a Canadian abolitionist who will change his life forever. 12 Years a Slave is praised for its portrayal of slavery without any sugar-coating and without diverting attention away from the topic, praising everything from Hans Zimmer’s score to Steve McQueen’s directorial skills. Again, the film was criticized as promoting the “white saviour” concept as a white man swoops into Soloman’s life and helps him gain his freedom.
3 The King’s Speech (2011)
Another on this list based on a true story The King’s Speech follows the journey of King George VI colloquially referred to as Bertie who is forced to become King and has to face his hidden speech impediment. Desperate to conquer his stammer, he visits the Australian Lionel Logue who is determined to help him, and while it is rough sailing, Lionel and Bertie bond and grow to become friends. The film was critically acclaimed and praised for its overall accuracy despite the sensitivity of the topic. Both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush were praised for their performances, gaining Firth his first Oscar for Best Actor.
2 Moonlight (2017)
Moonlight follows Chiron through three stages of his life: his childhood, adolescence, and eventually his adulthood, identified as Little, Chiron, and Black, respectively. Chiron struggles to find his identity including working through the physical and emotional abuse he suffers in his childhood. It is the first LGBTQ+ movie with an all-black cast to win Best Picture and two other Academy Awards. Moonlight is critically praised for covering the theme of Black masculinity as well as intersecting "hood" film and art film successfully. The Moonlight Best Picture award ceremony is infamous as the presenter wrongfully announced La La Land instead of Moonlight as the winner for Best Picture.
1 The Shape of Water (2018)
Probably the most unique of all the films on the list, The Shape of Water follows mute woman Elisa who works as a night cleaner at a hidden facility. Set in 1962, Elisa is ostracised for being unable to speak but things change for her when she discovers the humanoid amphibian creature that the government is hiding. Elisa grows close to the creature and is determined to change his fate. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water is praised as an all-around masterpiece and even gained del Toro an Oscar for Best Director.