Which hidden gems were overlooked at this year’s Oscars?

Ah the Oscars! The most glitzy, glamorous and over-hyped night of the film lover’s year. The gowns were gorgeous, the guests were gushing and the gongs were…well, predictable.

Brave, brilliant silent film The Artist swept the board as expected, taking Best Picture, Best Director and Actor in a Leading Role, while Meryl Streep finally broke her 30 year ‘dry spell’ to win Actress in a Leading Role for The Lady.

Most-nominated film Hugo actually matched The Artist’s total of 5 gongs, but mainly in technical categories, leaving Martin Scorsese in the wings while director Michel Hazanavicius swept to success. All brilliant, all deserving, all very much as expected.

But what about the hidden gems that the Oscars overlooked? Daniel Radcliffe recently complained to the Radio Times about the “snobbery” that prevented the committee from nominating the final Harry Potter instalment (oh dear…how do we break it to you Dan?) But here are my top picks for the nominees that should have been…

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Some criticised it for being clunky and heavy handed, but this searing portrait of a mother’s increasing horror at her own son surely deserved a mention. (Personally, I’d have inserted it neatly in place of universally loathed Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) And Tilda Swinton was robbed of a place in the leading actress category after critics raved about her mesmerising performance.

Drive

The speed, the slickness, the sheer thrilling, stomach-lurching visuals of the high speed chases… OK, there may have been a few teeny plot holes (a getaway driver who only drives for five minutes? Really?) But what it lacked in substance it more than made up for in style.

Shame

From its ground-breakingly fresh approach to sex and addiction to its evocation of the anxiety and loneliness of cold, corporate Manhattan, Shame was one of the most shocking omissions from this year’s nominations – not only for the deeply thought-provoking film itself but for Michael Fassbender’s reptilian yet somehow heartbreaking central performance.

The Skin I Live In

It’s typical of the Oscars to underrepresent foreign films, but in a year when a French film (and a silent movie at that!) could win so big, it was a shame to see Pedro Almodóvar’s unexpected, twisted thriller miss out on even a single nod.

Senna

This clever, brilliantly crafted film surely deserved a nomination in the category it redefined. Documentary will never be the same again after Senna proved it was possible to make an utterly enthralling, dramatic film that captures the essence of a life while feeling more like a high-speed thriller than a stuffy catalogue of facts.

And finally the ‘Most Miffed’ gong has to go to Olivia Colman, whose brilliant, downtrodden yet hopeful turn in Tyrannosaur and poignant supporting role in The Iron Lady were both undeservedly snubbed.

Do you think the right films won on the night? What were your favourite un-nominated flicks of the year? Let us know below!

BBC Films and Kevin production © 2010 photo Nicole Rivelli