From Braveheart to A Beautiful Mind, the Oscar often goes to underdogs who overcome obstacles.    So Bertie’s rousing transformation from stutterer to statesman in The King’s Speech has become the favorite to win Best Picture. Colin Firth offers a compelling, Oscar-worthy portrait of King George VI.    The unconventional methods of speech therapist Lionel Logue work wonders on the King (and the audience). But while The King’s Speech may win the most awards, the darker, thornier Oscar nominees are more likely to resonate in years to come.   

[Watch Gregg Helvey, Oscar-winning filmmaker's Q talk: "The Story of Justice"]

Ambivalence about family drives Winter’s Bone, The Kids Are All Right, and The Fighter. Blood ties can hold us back and even become deadly. Sometimes we must step away in order to survive.  So where do we find a support structure to navigate this dark world? These films do not look above, but within. They are about characters finding the wherewithal to carry on.

Winter’s Bone is a rare peek into a rural Ozark community. Jennifer Lawrence is unforgettable as Ree Dolly, a daughter in search of her drug-dealing Dad. She displays such pluck in tracking down her menacing uncle Teardrop. She even teaches her siblings how to skin a squirrel.  Our respect for Ree is matched by our revulsion at her bleak family situation. The backwoods of Winter’s Bone are chilling.

Traditional definitions of marriage and family are challenged in The Kids are All Right. Nic and Jules, a committed lesbian couple, each had a child through artificial insemination. Before heading off to college, their daughter decides to track down her biological father. When the sperm donor arrives, their seemingly stable family bond begins to unravel. The Kids are All Right features frank sexuality that may unnerve some audiences. Is it a sign of progress that lesbian couples can fall prey to lust, temptation and adultery, too?  Those trying to relate to all kinds of blended families may find The Kids are All Right a surprisingly honest and insightful story about parents and their children.

The Fighter trades upon boxing metaphors like the importance of getting up off the mat. Despite a profound toughness in the ring, “Irish” Micky Ward has never stood up to his mother. Her management decisions have always favored his older, half-brother, Dicky Ecklund. When Dicky’s temper and crack addiction lands him in jail, Micky finally has a chance to shine. The love of a tough bartender named Charlene gives Micky the confidence to break free from his destructive family system.

So do the finest films of 2010 elevate the individual above all? The Social Network, True Grit, Black Swan, 127 Hours, and Inception are cautionary tales, photographed in shadows rather than light.   They explore the dark side of the human condition, the downward spiral we often set in motion. Obsession can blind us. We need family and friends to snap us back to reality.

The Social Network suggests that unparalleled financial prosperity can’t cure loneliness or anti-social behavior. Mark Zuckerberg comes across as smart but petty, failing to embrace genuine friendship, resorting to cheap shots and low blows instead. Did revenge fuel the foundation of Facebook?   Was the idea stolen from the Winkelvoss twins? Thanks to The Social Network, we may never be able to separate fact from fiction. But Aaron Sorkin’s smart script suggests our relentless search for online connections pales in comparison to sticking with friends who will accompany us in life’s peaks and valleys. Billionaire Zuckerberg comes across as a poor man.

Black Swan depicts our considerable capacity for self-destruction. Nina Sayers wants to be the lead ballerina in Swan Lake. But she is also pushed toward perfection (and madness) by her overbearing mother, Erica and her manipulative director, Thomas. Darren Aronofsky employs all manner of camera tricks to create an air of dread. This is a hysterical horror story, asking how far will we go in pursuit of our goal? And what will it cost us?

Fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross seeks justice at almost any price. She hires legendary U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn to find the man who murdered her father.  But Cogburn and a Texas Ranger fail to display as much True Grit as Mattie. The Coen Brothers recapture the Old Testament tones found in Charles Portis’ novel. They open with a quotation from Proverbs and close with a gospel hymn. But what does Mattie learn along the trail? Retribution is costly. No one comes away unscathed. So perhaps we’re better off “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” than taking up arms.

It can be daunting to watch tough, realistic films like 127 Hours. Viewers largely stayed away from this riveting, true-life story. Who wants to see a hiker saw his arm off as entertainment? While 127 Hours affirms the gift of life, it also recreates in graphic detail what Aron Ralston had to do to escape a remote slot canyon in Utah. Independence ends up quite over-rated. Director Danny Boyle reminds us to cherish the gift of life, love, and family.

Inception is a thrilling exploration of the power of dreams. Dom Cobb leads a team of extractors on their most daring mission yet—planting an idea in a corporate titans’ head. Amidst an inventive plot, Inception is about letting go of illusions, not letting false ideas control you. For those fixated on an old flame, Inception provides a jolting wake up call. Don’t ever think suicide is an acceptable way out. Visionary director Christopher Nolan reminds us to love your family and hug your kids each and every waking day.  

When the Toy Story series began, Andy was a young boy, playing games with his beloved Buzz Lightyear and Woody. In Toy Story 3, Andy says goodbye to childhood and his cherished toys. Jessie, Ham and Rex deal with issues of abandonment, trying to find a new calling or home. Pixar’s Oscar nominee raises interesting questions of who we’re supposed to serve, even forcing frightened toys to face mortality. For a children’s movie, Toy Story 3 is remarkably mature. Perhaps we are still understanding what it means that “A little child shall them.”

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Are there any films you wish had been included in this list of flicks that are "likely to resonate in years to come?" Which pictures do you think will snatch up some Oscars this year? Which ones deserve to but probably won't?

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