1. Why does the Oscars get it wrong sometimes?
Historical reviews on major film platforms such as Variety and IndieWire suggest that the Academy sometimes chooses films that suit their moment, while critical memory later does justice to other films that did not win the top prize.
Famous examples of controversial choices:
• Shakespeare in Love winning over Saving Private Ryan.
• Crash winning over Brokeback Mountain.
• Green Book winning over films such as Roma and The Favourite.
Films history immortalised, but the Oscars did not reward:
The British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound lists give significant weight to films such as Chinatown, Apocalypse Now, and Taxi Driver — works that did not win Best Picture despite their major cultural impact.
2. The mystery of the voting system!
The reason behind these surprising results is not only about artistic taste, but also about the voting system the Academy uses in the Best Picture category.
• Preferential voting: Voters do not choose just one film; they rank the films from most to least preferred.
• The logic of pleasing everyone: This system gives an advantage to the film that collects the largest number of second- and third-place rankings, not necessarily the boldest film.
• The result: The film that draws the fewest objections may win, rather than the most innovative one.
3. The Washington Post report: A parallel record of history!
In a recent report published by The Washington Post on March 10, 2026, the newspaper rebuilt the Oscars record from 1974 onward, proposing winners it considered more deserving of staying in the cultural memory.
• The paper argued that Chinatown deserved the prize more than The Godfather: Part II.
• It also argued that Jaws was more deserving of immortality than One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
• The conclusion is that there is a clear gap between the film of the season that wins the golden statuette, and the film of lasting impact that stays alive for decades.
4. Does the Oscars always get it wrong?
Of course not. There are cases in which the Academy’s judgment aligned with artistic value that stood the test of time, including The Silence of the Lambs, Unforgiven, and Parasite. Many critics also saw Anora’s win in the 2025 edition as a victory that was artistically and technically deserved.
5. Oscars 2026: What should we expect?
The upcoming race on March 15 brings back the same familiar showdown among the films of 2025.
• The main competition: Predictions revolve around Sinners and One Battle After Another.
• Critics’ bet: Some believe that films such as Hamnet and Sentimental Value may remain in critical memory even if they do not win on Oscar night.
Final analysis
The Oscars is not a pure measure of artistic quality. It is the product of a professional institution made up of thousands of voters with different tastes and interests. That is why it often chooses the film of the moment, while memory chooses the film of lasting impact. And that debate is exactly what gives the award a life longer than the night of the ceremony itself!
