30 Oscar losers that should have been Oscar winners

Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave) losing to Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity) – Best Director (2014)

The Winner

Gravity, the terrifying space drama starring Sandra Bullock in a role that was written for a man (#yasqueen #feminism). Also there is a snarky George Clooney, lots of fire, and a poorly utilized “grieving mom” trope. You know. To give the lady astronaut a personality.

The Loser

12 Years a Slave, a film about the life of Solomon Northup. He was a free black man in the U.S., pre-Civil War, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Steve McQueen’s most emotionally effective masterpiece to date.

Why It Was Wrong

Okay, I know I got sassy about Gravity. Sorry, Alfonso. The truth is, I loved Gravity. And the direction was, indeed, excellent. This is definitely not one of those “seriously-how-could-you-give-this-award-to-this-movie” things. But for my money, the direction of 12 Years A Slave was more original, more emotionally effective, and more revolutionary than that of Gravity.

I don’t know what challenges go into directing a movie that takes place in outer space, but I assume it’s a lot. I have to give Cuarón props for that. Also, the direction really emphasized the enormity of space itself in comparison with the one or two characters seen on screen most of the time. It gave the audience the appropriate amount of terror. The story wouldn’t have worked without it.

But 12 Years a Slave was more grounded (pun only partially intended). The plot of Gravity was about one astronaut finding her way back to Earth after a disaster. And that was great. But the nature of the story created a pattern – technical problem, logical solution, technical problem, logical solution. 12 Years a Slave is about a solution-less problem.

Additionally, while Gravity was visually stunning, the shot choices, for the most part, were fairly standard for what the story called for. Steve McQueen’s shot choices in 12 Years a Slave were completely innovative.

Think of a long, protracted single shot of a black man in a noose, hanging from a tree, struggling to keep his footing as the ins and outs of plantation life go on normally behind him. Think of the circular motion of the camera in the scene where Lupita N’yongo’s character is brutally whipped, finally dropping the single bar of soap she was being punished for. Think of Chiwetel Ejiofor looking you directly in the eye. They don’t teach you that stuff in film school. Sorry, Cuarón. I still love you. But this one belonged to McQueen.