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7) Lion
Another sad story in a year of them, Lion is based on a real tragedy that ultimately ends happily. A destitute boy in a small province in India follows his older brother to the place where they find goods that they can exchange for food. He falls asleep during the heist and winds up on a train a thousand miles away in Calcutta, unable to speak the language or tell people he’s far from home.

Eventually, the boy winds up adopted by an Australian couple that provides him an idyllic home life. His affluence never soothes his troubled soul, though. Even though the boy becomes a smart, successful man, he never forgets that he’s living the wrong life and that his birth mother and brother don’t know what happened to him. What follows is a struggling man’s attempts to reconcile the happiness he should feel with the dissatisfaction that sometimes overwhelms him. Those who remembered the headlines of the real life inspiration for Lion know how it ends. It’s the journey that amazes, though. Lion is uncomfortable to watch at several points, but its heart is always in the right place. Even though it’s only seventh on my list, I’d still heartily recommend it, which reflects the overall quality of this year’s list of nominations. 2016 was especially great for acting. Even the next film, one I didn’t enjoy as much, featured a pair of astonishingly good performances.

8) Moonlight

Each year, I seem to describe one of the nominees as a film I admire rather than one I love. Moonlight is this year’s entrant. I absolutely love the performances in the movie, particularly the work of two actors I’ve admired for more than a decade now, Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris.

At its core, Moonlight tells a crucial story about the natural ostracism that occurs when a homophobic parent realizes that they’re raising a gay child. Hearing someone describe their child as sweet, as if that’s problematic, is striking. I deeply respect the aggressive, brutal take that writer/director Barry Jenkins has on the subject matter. I just didn’t take a lot away from the film. Even now, the details blur. I understand why the subject matter resonates with so many. For me, it didn’t prove memorable beyond the acting performances.

9) Hacksaw Ridge

Sometimes, the message of a film gets lost in translation. The entire story of Desmond Doss is amazing yet the film telling the tale fails completely. It’s not a bad film per se, simply a dishonest one. Ostensibly, Hacksaw Ridge wants the viewer to know Doss valued human life above all else. His actions demonstrate this behavior, and some events not shown onscreen reinforce it. He even tries to save a couple of his enemies on the battlefield, ultimately failing. The effort reeks of nobility and innate decency, though.

Paradoxically, this knowledge is what undoes Hacksaw Ridge as a film. Mel Gibson inexplicably throws in elements of Rambo to add spice to the action sequences. Yes, Doss entered the field of battle multiple times to draw soldiers away to safety. And yes, he did so at tremendous personal risk. That’s why he’s a big damn hero. Gibson’s direction doesn’t trust the story enough to show the bravery of Doss. Instead, he preaches about the importance of life while killing random Japanese redshirts without any consideration as to their worth as people. Doss as a real person cared about life. Gibson’s retelling of the story is cowardly. He somehow convinced himself that Hacksaw Ridge needs a high body count to make its point.

The ultimate outcome is a wounded American soldier being dragged along as he somehow shoots eight random Japanese men. Meanwhile, they fire hundreds of bullets that miss. This film is like something Shane Black would make, only without the self-irony.

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