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Why were so many industry observers surprised by the results at this year鈥檚 Producers Guild of America Awards?聽

At the latest awards ceremony honoring films released in 2015, the film 鈥淭he Big Short,鈥� which tells the story of various people who foresaw the recent recession, won the PGA big prize, the Darryl F. Zanuck Award.聽

This is the PGA Awards equivalent of the Oscars' Best Picture. The Darryl F. Zanuck Award winner has gone on to take Best Picture every year since 2007, including the 2014 movie 鈥淏irdman,鈥� 2012鈥檚 鈥淎rgo,鈥� 2011鈥檚 鈥淭he Artist,鈥� and 2010鈥檚 鈥淭he King鈥檚 Speech.鈥� (In 2014, the movies 鈥�12 Years a Slave鈥� and 鈥淕ravity鈥� tied 鈥� 鈥淪lave鈥� went on to win Best Picture.)

Directed by 鈥淎nchorman鈥� conductor Adam McKay,聽鈥淪hort鈥� is one of the eight films nominated for Best Picture.

But until recently, many Oscar watchers had believed that the journalism film 鈥淪potlight鈥� was the frontrunner for the Oscars top prize, while some thought the survival movie 鈥淭he Revenant鈥� might have a chance at Best Picture after winning the Golden Globe for best drama (over 鈥淪potlight,鈥� no less). And at the Golden Globes, the science fiction movie 鈥淭he Martian鈥� beat out 鈥淪hort鈥� for the best comedy or musical prize.

Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times noted that the win by 鈥淪hort鈥� 鈥渓argely [took] the room by surprise. Winning the Darryl F. Zanuck Award adds further momentum to the movie鈥檚 late-breaking awards run, just the latest development in a topsy-turvy awards season."

Variety writer Dave McNary called the decision "a major surprise."

Pete Hammond of Deadline wrote that the win by 鈥淪hort鈥� is less shocking to him, though: 鈥淭his movie has been surging like Donald Trump ever since it opened in December, gaining steam at every stop (well, maybe except the Golden Globes).鈥澛�

What could be the next indicator as to the chances of 鈥淪hort鈥�? Awards season watchers are pointing to the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be held later this week on Jan. 30 and where 鈥淪hort鈥� is nominated for the best cast award (the SAG Awards equivalent of Best Picture). If 鈥淪hort鈥� won the top award there, it could be hard to beat.聽

Why is "Short" doing so well?

Monitor film critic Peter Rainer called "Short" "fast-paced and entertaining聽and, given that it鈥檚 about聽the home loan mortgage crisis that led to the 2008 financial collapse, I聽found it surprisingly easy to follow."聽

"Short" may also be the first movie about the Great Recession to be released post-recession that has caught the attention of audiences. In 2009, "Up in the Air," for example, became an Oscar nominee and a box office hit, but it was a fictional story about a man who fires employees at various companies. 聽"The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013) experienced awards season plaudits and also became a box office hit, but it was about a stockbroker living in the 1980s.

By contrast, "Short" attempts to explain in detail what happened to cause the 2008 financial crisis. Most of the movies made on the subject since the recession occurred have been documentaries like "Inside Job" in 2010. But "Inside," for example, didn't gross anything close to the numbers of "Short," nor did a fictional take on the recession, the 2011 film "Margin Call."

A movie that looks at what caused the recession (accurately or not), presumably resonates emotionally with audiences and critics. Bourree Lam and Gillian B. White of the Atlantic write:

Inkoo Kang of TheWrap writes, "Unless you鈥檙e a Wall Street trader or a CNBC fanatic, you鈥檙e bound to learn something new about how unregulated capitalism set itself on fire less than a decade ago."