By Nick Long–

The Oscars are almost upon us. While the Oscars always have a wide selection to give awards to, they definitely have a preference for particular types of films.

There were many films from 2018 that went unnoticed by the Oscars that deserve a little bit more attention.

“Eighth Grade” was comedian Bo Burnham’s breakout project on the big screen. “Eighth Grade” follows Kayla (Elsie Fisher) as she has to survive the last week of, you guessed it, eighth grade. It’s a hilariously real reminder about what it’s like to go through junior high. If I could recommend any movie from 2018 that the Oscars didn’t recognize, it would be this one.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” is a heart-warming documentary about Mr. Rogers’ life and how important his T.V. program was when educational television really began to take shape.

“Leave No Trace” is a film about a father (Ben Foster) living out in the wilderness away from civilization with his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie). Once they’re discovered, there are pressures from city officials to have them assimilate back into society, but they face some difficulties along the way.

“Puzzle” is a film about a neglected mother named Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) who finds a talent for solving jigsaw puzzles. We see Agnes come into her own skin as she becomes closer with her puzzle partner (Irfan Khan) and sees her worth outside the domestic household.

“Boy Erased” is the true story of how Garrard Conely (Lucas Hedges) was sent to a gay conversion therapy program by his father (Russell Crowe). The film was adapted from Garrard Conely’s memoir that has the same name as the film. It’s a heartbreaking story that shows the true horrors of how real gay conversion therapy programs are.

It is definitely an honor to be nominated for an Oscar, but it is not the be-all-end-all of film. So many good films don’t go recognized by the Oscars, so it’s important to always keep an eye out for the other good films regardless of what Hollywood says.

Graphic by Shayla Kerr / The Louisville Cardinal