Arthurian fantasies, Brazilian thrillers and scatological comedies – our critics celebrate the films that were unjustly snubbed for this year’s Oscars
How on earth did The Green Knight get passed over for any Oscar nominations? This visionary drama, directed by David Lowery, stars Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander and is incidentally co-produced by the achingly trendy company A24 – currently the toast of indie Hollywood. It is a freaky folk horror, or prog-rock hallucination, based on the 14th-century chivalric poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Dev Patel is Gawain, challenged by the mysterious Green Knight to a sinister game. Gawain is allowed to take a free shot at the knight’s head with his sword, on the understanding that in a year’s time the knight can do the same to him. Gawain chops the knight’s head off, and this unearthly figure simply picks up the head – which reminds Gawain to seek him out next year for the rematch – and strides off. The resulting quest is as disturbing and beautiful as anything I have seen in the cinema in the last 12 months. Why couldn’t the Academy see it? Peter Bradshaw
