These 5 Great 2025 Movies Received Zero Oscar Nominations, and That Sucks

5 days ago 10

Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee stands with her arms extended as a person looks on in The Testament of Ann Lee.

Published Jan 29, 2026, 6:30 PM EST

David is a Senior Editor at Collider focused primarily on Lists. His professional journey began in the mid-2010s as a Marketing specialist before embarking on his writing career in the 2020s. At Collider, David started as a Senior Writer in late 2022 and has been a Senior Editor since mid-2023. He is in charge of ideating compelling and engaging List articles by working closely with writers, both Senior and Junior, as well as other editors. Occasionally, David also reviews movies and TV shows and writes episode recaps. Currently, David is also writing his second novel, a psychological horror satire that will, hopefully, be picked up for publication sometime next year.

The 2026 Oscar nominations were announced last week, with Ryan Coogler's vampire drama Sinners leading the bunch and breaking the all-time record with 17 mentions. Elsewhere, films like Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, and Chloé Zhao's Hamnet also received multiple nominations, making for an overall very solid group that proves 2025 was a great year for the movie business.

Indeed, 2025 featured many truly wonderful movies, many of which were rightfully recognized by the Academy with one or two mentions, including Train Dreams, Weapons, and Blue Moon. But what about the many other brilliant movies that didn't find a place among the Academy's nominations? Not every great picture can be recognized by the Oscars, but in a year with as many solid offerings, it makes it especially sad that smaller efforts flew under the organization's radar. The movies on this list are great, but failed to receive Oscar nominations in any category, and it's genuinely upsetting. And while the actual nominees are pretty fantastic, they could've been even better by including a few or all of these worthwhile cinematic underdogs.

5 'The Testament of Ann Lee'

No snub at the 2025 Oscars hurt more than the complete omission of Mona Fastvold's ambitious epic musical drama The Testament of Ann Lee. A spectacular Amanda Seyfried leads the cast as Ann Lee, the founder of the religious group known as the Shakers in the 18th century. The film chronicles her spiritual journey as she rises to become a leading figure of her time. Lewis Pullman, Thomasin McKenzie, Tim Blake Nelson, and Christopher Abbott also star.

Simply put, it makes no sense that The Testament of Ann Lee was shut out. The film is an epic and insightful tale of faith in the face of challenge and the fine line between religion and mysticism. At the center of it all is a towering Amanda Seyfried delivering arguably the best performance of her career. It's a committed and fully inhabited portrayal of spiritual surrender, the stuff of acting dreams that few performers ever achieve. The Lead Actress category was notoriously a bloodbath this year, with worthwhile contenders like Chase Infiniti and Jennifer Lawrence all missing out on a nod. And yet, Seyfried should've still made it in, and the fact that she didn't is bound to age as one of the Academy's worst snubs. The Testament of Ann Lee is admittedly divisive and a challenging watch for sure, but the artistry on display should've been more than enough to secure nominations in the below-the-line categories. Searchlight mishandled the campaign, for sure, but the film will stand the test of time.

4 'Sorry, Baby'

Eva Victor and John Carroll Lynch sitting and talking in Sorry Baby

Not even a shout-out from Julia Roberts at the Golden Globes was enough to get voters to pay attention to Eva Victor's Sorry, Baby. The actress pulls triple-duty as director, writer, and star here, playing Agnes, a reclusive college literature professor struggling with depression following a sexual assault. Naomie Ackie and Lucas Hedges also star, with professional scene-stealing character actor John Carroll Lynch playing a small but pivotal role.

Sorry, Baby handles a very difficult subject matter with honesty, emotional vulnerability, and a touch of humor. Victor's screenplay is insightful but never exploitative, approaching the matter head-on while focusing entirely on Agnes' journey. Trauma is not something one necessarily overcomes, but it is something that one gradually works through, and Victor understands that. Her writing is a remarkably empathetic work that should've been nominated in the Original Screenplay category, where it should've been a strong contender to win the whole thing. Sorry, Baby is the sort of mid-size movie that often struggles to get on the Academy's radar, and while Roberts' support was surely appreciated, it probably came a bit too late to influence the voting in any significant way.

3 'Twinless'

Actors Dylan O'Brien and James Sweeney as Roman and Dennis, standing face to face in a nightclub in Twinless

Written, directed, and co-starring James Sweeney, Twinless is arguably 2025's biggest cinematic underdog. After impressing with his 2019 debut, Straight Up, Sweeney returns with a more confident filmmaking style that took the indie world by storm. Here, he stars as Dennis, a young gay man living in Portland, who befriends Roman (Dylan O'Brien) at a support group for people who lost their twin. The two form an intense but meaningful friendship, but their bond will be tested when secrets from their past emerge.

Part buddy comedy and part psychological study of obsession and loneliness, Twinless is a unique beast, the kind of indie effort that the Academy has grown more comfortable with in the new millennium. Sweeney's screenplay is sharp and acidic, a clever examination of grief and attachment that's never afraid to show its characters' darkest sides. The multi-hyphenate is in fine form, but Twinless belongs almost entirely to O'Brien, who gives a career-best performance as the emotionally stunted and haunted Roman. Upon its review at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, the film earned rave reviews, eventually winning the Audience Award for dramatic features. Alas, sustaining enthusiasm for a whole year is hard, and Twinless didn't have the sort of campaign that could ensure it. The film did get recognized at the Indie Spirit Awards, but neither Sweeney's biting screenplay nor O'Brien's excellent performance received anywhere near the recognition they should've.

2 'Rental Family'

Brendan Fraser riding a bus in Rental Family

Brendan Fraser's post-Oscar career has been slow but consistent. He might not have received the same instant boost that many others get after they claim gold, but he is effectively experiencing a second wind, with supporting roles in major hits like Killers of the Flower Moon and even a return to the role that made him an icon in a potential third sequel to The Mummy. This year, he added another feather to his cap with Rental Family, a comedy-drama where he plays an American actor who works for a rental family agency in Japan, playing different roles in the lives of strangers.

By every metric, Rental Family is the type of movie the Academy usually loves, a crowd-pleaser with a star in the lead role delivering some of the best work of his career. Fraser is genuinely great in the lead role, as the film capitalizes on his distinct brand of sweet-natured appeal in support of a classic story about love, understanding, and community. The film received solid reviews and was even among the National Board of Review's Top 10 Films. However, Rental Family's lack of success not only at the Oscars but also overall throughout awards season can be attributed to a faulty campaign on Searchlight's part. Indeed, if there's one villain this Oscar season, it might just be Searchlight for messing up both this movie and Ann Lee's chances at scoring some much-deserved love from the Academy.

1 'Dead Man's Wire'

Bill Skarsgård on the phone in Dead Man's Wire

Bill Skarsgård stars in Gus Van Sant's best movie in ages, Dead Man's Wire. Based on the real case involving Tony Kiritsis, the film chronicles the 1977 incident where Kiritsis kidnapped Richard "Dick" Hall (Dacre Montgomery), the son of the president of Meridian Mortgage Company. Attaching a makeshift device to the back of Dick's head, Tony demands his debt to Meridian forgiven, his name cleared, and a personal letter of apology from the company's owner, M.L. Hall (Al Pacino). As the situation escalates, Tony makes repeated calls to Fred Temple (Colman Domingo), a DJ he's a fan of.

Although Skarsgård's father, Stellan, received a richly deserved Supporting Actor nomination, he didn't have the same luck, and it's such a shame. Dead Man's Wire is a true showcase for Bill Skarsgård, and a Lead Actor nomination would've been the perfect way to end what was an outstanding year for the 35-year-old actor. In his hands, Tony is both a fascinating yet off-putting character, a man on the edge of a breakdown who's too deluded to take seriously but desperate enough to become an actual menace. The chances for a Van Sant nomination for what is effectively his best work in decades were always slim, but it's a genuine shame that he didn't receive any kind of recognition for what is a true return to form. In the end, Dead Man's Wire suffered from the same thing as countless other mid-size movies: a lack of support and a non-existent campaign. The Academy won't vote for a movie that is simply not on their radar.