For example, the last decade of Best Picture winners primarily recognized small-budget dramas with powerful messages including Moonlight, Spotlight and 12 Years a Slave.
Christopher Quarrie thinks somewhere along the line the definition of Best Picture shifted from being externally out there and innovative.
The most recent recognition looks to commend the innovation of telling a unique story or bringing to attention a particular subject — it’s more about how it makes you feel, not how much it dazzled you cinematically.