There’s no such thing as an Oscar snub. The Academy members just vote the way they vote, and it’s far less deliberate than anyone thinks. The exception to this rule, of course, is the fact that Godfrey Reggio’s unmatched journey into insightful abstraction was not even nominated in 1983. Inspired by the Hopi word meaning “life out of balance,” Reggio set a standard that documentarians are still chasing to this day. Modern life may remain out of balance, but Reggio’s directing is in perfect harmony with the score by Philip Glass and Ron Fricke’s cinematography. – Richard Whittaker