The Oscars are a prestigious annual event that recognizes the best in film, but not everyone agrees with the Academy’s choices.

On Reddit, users have shared their thoughts on performances they felt deserved recognition but were overlooked by the Oscars.

One such performance is Jake Gyllenhaal’s role in the film Nightcrawler.

Reddit user Big_Screen_Addicted writes that Gyllenhaal’s character, Louis Bloom, was “easily one of the most compelling anti-heroes we’d seen on the big screen in years.”

In the film, Gyllenhaal plays a creepy, manipulative videographer who becomes successful in Los Angeles by filming and exploiting car accidents and murders.

Nightcrawler received widespread praise from both audiences and critics and was compared to the film Network upon its release in 2014.

Nightcrawler deals with themes of amoral journalism and declining ethics in an age of economic pressures.

It also touches on the concept of late-stage capitalism and how it can negatively affect millennials.

Gyllenhaal’s character, Louis Bloom, is a representation of this, starting out as a desperate go-getter who volunteers for unpaid internships in order to gain experience.

As Bloom builds his own business, he hires his own unpaid intern (played by Riz Ahmed), continuing a cycle of exploitation.

In addition to commenting on societal issues, Nightcrawler also presents a cynical view of modern romance.

Bloom becomes infatuated with Nina, the news director of a low-rated local TV station, and coerces her into sleeping with him.

However, Bloom’s advances on Nina seem to be more about seizing power from an authority figure than about sexual gratification.

Gyllenhaal’s performance as Louis Bloom is noteworthy due to the character’s lack of likability. Bloom is described as a “worm trapped inside the body of a man,” with physical features and mannerisms that make him seem less than human.

He speaks in a way that seems as if he learned about people from listening to Tony Robbins audiobooks.

Despite this, Gyllenhaal manages to bring a level of empathy to the character, portraying Bloom as a man who has been dehumanized by the harsh realities of the 21st century economy.

In the face of a world that offers no better future, Bloom’s only choice is to keep crawling forward, no matter the cost.

Nightcrawler offers a unique and thought-provoking take on modern society, with a standout performance by Jake Gyllenhaal that deserves recognition.

While the actors who received Oscar nominations also did excellent work, it is important not to forget the actors who had standout roles in the same year but were not honored with a nomination.