Watch: Video Essays on Why No One Saw 'Widows' + Why It's Superb

"We have a lot of work to do, crying is not on the list." British filmmaker Steve McQueen's acclaimed crime drama Widows originally opened in theaters last November, after premiering at the Toronto and London Film Festivals. Despite strong early reviews from both festivals, the Chicago-set film pretty much flopped - earning only $12 million on its opening weekend, putting it in 5th place at the box office below four other movies. But why? How did this happen? Even after ending up on numerous Top 10 lists (including my own) and earning one BAFTA Award nomination (for Best Actress), it was left out of the Oscars entirely - not even one nomination from The Academy. Nothing. Fellow cinephile and friend of the site H Nelson Tracey has put together two video essays looking at why this happened, and why this movie is excellent, no matter how much it made at the box office. Finally some retribution for Widows - a movie you should have seen by now.

Original description from YouTube: "Widows, Steve McQueen's followup to Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave, was largely overlooked when it was released in November 2018. It ultimately received zero Oscar nominations, despite originally being an awards contender. There are a few reasons why this happened, some of which were the movie's fault, some of which weren't. This video essay explores why exactly this happened." And the follow-up: "With its excellent use of the Chicago location as a full-fledged character, as well as the visual motifs used to show the growth and transformation of Veronica (Viola Davis), there are numerous reasons to celebrate the excellence of Widows, despite the fact that it wasn't a commercial or critical hit." Both videos are made by H Nelson Tracey (aka "Hint of Film") also behind the "Reading List" videos (Captain Fantastic, Zodiac, Lady Bird). You can find Widows on iTunes or Amazon - worth a watch.

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