Who did win an Oscar vs who SHOULD have won one

There had been accusations of race myopia, gender bias and gasps at the many glaringly overlooked films and filmmakers not in contention for an Academy Award this year. But that didn't stop Hollywood's glitterati from putting on their best suits and frocks to find out who would be taking home a coveted Oscar statue on Sunday. 

Here are the lists of the nominees in key categories  — the winners and the ones who should have won in a perfect world:

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

THE NOMINEES

• Antonio Banderas in Pain and Glory
• Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood
• Adam Driver in Marriage Story
• Joaquin Phoenix in Joker
• Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes

WHO DID WIN:

Phoenix

WHO SHOULD HAVE WON:

Phoenix. This Oscar is the latest in a long line of plaudits for the enigmatic actor's star turn in Joker. 

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

THE NOMINEES

• Cynthia Erivo in Harriet
• Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story
• Saoirse Ronan in Little Women
• Charlize Theron in Bombshell
• Renée Zellweger in Judy

WHO DID WIN:

Zellweger

WHO SHOULD HAVE WON:

Erivo's portrayal of Underground Railroad heroine Harriet Tubman earned her the distinction of being the only person of colour nominated in any of the Academy Award's major categories this year. Her stellar performance should have seen her take the Oscar home.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

THE NOMINEES

• Kathy Bates in Richard Jewell
• Laura Dern in Marriage Story
• Scarlett Johansson in Jojo Rabbit
• Florence Pugh in Little Women
• Margot Robbie in Bombshell

WHO WON:

Dern

WHO SHOULD HAVE WON:

Robbie's deceptively empathetic performance as an invented character in the true story drama about the Roger Ailes Fox News sex scandal shows that there's more to her talents than just the looks for which she's so often celebrated.

Her winning would have made a statement about the attitudes of the entertainment industry towards women and the way that it treats them.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

THE NOMINEES

• Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
• Anthony Hopkins in The Two Popes
• Al Pacino in The Irishman
• Joe Pesci in The Irishman
• Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood

WHO WON:

Pitt

WHO SHOULD HAVE WON:

Pesci had to be lured out of retirement with the promise of reuniting with longtime friends and collaborators Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro to give his finest performance as the cool-as-ice mob fixer Russell in Scorsese's epic elegiac mob drama.

BEST DIRECTOR

THE NOMINEES

• Martin Scorsese The Irishman
• Todd Phillips Joker
• Sam Mendes 1917
• Quentin Tarantino Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood
• Bong Joon-Ho Parasite

WHO WON:

Joon-Ho

WHO SHOULD HAVE WON:

Joon-Ho. His biting critique of late capitalist ambition and class envy is one of the most controlled and singular cinematic achievements of recent years.

BEST FILM

THE NOMINEES

• Ford V Ferrari
• The Irishman
• Jojo Rabbit
• Joker
• Little Women
• Marriage Story
• 1917
• Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
• Parasite

WHICH FILM WON:

Parasite. It made history for being the first foreign language film to win the Best Picture accolade in the Academy Award's 92-year history.

WHICH FILM SHOULD HAVE WON:

Parasite. It's one of any year's most interesting, distinctive and smartest films. Read a full review of this Korean film here.

• This article is adapted from one originally published on the Sunday Times website. Read the original here.