

i know what you mean, but let me articulate a few rather different scenarios/examples ... 
e.g. 

(1) a swedish friend once told me (not sure how true it is) -- that the rest of the world likes Ingmar Bergman's works much more than many of the swedish themselves. maybe sometimes the world has a diff taste from the locals?! ... whose taste is "correct"?! just like food, i dont think there is a right and wrong, but the recognition that tastes do differ ... 

(2) a lot of critics love Tsai Ming Liang's work, but you cannot deny that among the chinese population (i.e., from china, taiwan, hongkong, singapore, etc), only a substantial number like his works, i often called it an acquired taste ... it is too cryptic at times for commercial success ... 

(3) now back to Syndromes and a Century ... very humbly, i think it deserves a technical nomination at least for its style ... now i recall the controversy, it has to do with the depiction of monks, religion, etc ... 

as for it being the "best film", it dep on the yardstick we are using ... frankly, i wonder if the average thais (as in the normal citizens, NOT necessary people from the film association) do like these artsy fartsy films (that boast of more style than "plot") ... i want to discuss more about his works ... so click ... http://foreignfilms.yuku.com/topic/1336