2013, 19th Annual Awards - Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film

Best Movie

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Look around you – and around your film friends. Of all the people I met or spoke with this past fall, this is the one film that got absolute RAVES from everyone I spoke to. I don’t know a single person (ok, maybe one) who didn’t come out of this film utterly moved and completely charmed. Why? Because it’s EVERYONE’s life at 16 – admit it. I admit to having tears the first time I saw it … and I ended up seeing it four times at the theater. It won Best Picture from both Kim and myself in our 8th annual Poppies and Rosies Awards. It dominated the acting performances as well. And we don’t give that kind of overwhelming praise to just anything. Face it: The film is just THAT DAMN GOOD. And the performances are amazing. Oscar, of course, completely overlooked it. Well, not surprisingly, they are WRONG. And we shouldn’t make that same mistake. WE usually DON’T.” – tck

Beasts of the Southern Wild – In Behn Zeitlin’s remarkably assured debut feature, we’re instantly thrust into “The Bathtub”, an unfamiliar world off the Louisiana coast complete with its own codes and strictures and a history that extends far beyond what you see onscreen. The actions of our narrator, six-year-old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) and her father, Wink (Dwight Henry) drive home the film’s main themes: the desire for survival, strength and holding on to one’s own community. Wallis is almost inexplicably great, her acting either sui generis or an alchemy that’s the result of her naturalness and Zeitlin’s knack for capturing and guiding it. Splitting off into unexpected, unpredictable tangents full of allusions to mythical creatures (the Arctic beasts the title partially refers to) and real disasters, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is honestly like no other film I’ve ever seen. — ck

Bullhead – Jay Seaver described Bullhead as “almost operatic”, an apt description of the Belgian fable-like tale of Jacky Vanmarsenille, an aggressive yet wounded man haunted by a childhood trauma. The film evoke “Requiem for a Dream” both in its unsettling use of editing (though less hyper-stylized) and its theme of contrasting “unauthorized” vs. “authorized” drug use. As the film progresses, the blend of flashbacks and present-day action explains Jacky’s deteriorating mental state. Relating almost more with abused animals than his fellow humans, he nearly physically transforms into one while suppressing his humanity. While the film has a crime thriller aspect which superficially drives the plot, the spiraling emotional revelations are what create its profound impact — pe/tp

Monsieur Lazhar – Towards the end of MONSIEUR LAZHAR, one character gives another character a hug. It is a tiny, intimate moment, infinitely gentle, but fraught with sadness. It reminds us that the world is not always just, that endings are not always happy, and that change is inexorable. It also reminds us of the distance these two people have come, that as they journeyed together, refugees of two disparate, violent acts, they have helped each other to gain a little strength by which they can carry on. Monsieur Lazhar tells a universal story of ordinary victories won by ordinary people. — jp

Tyrannosaur – The opening scene of this tragic film is almost too painful to bear. Joseph (Peter Mullan), drunk and out of control, kills his dog in a fit of rage. He staggers from one verbal/physical confrontation to another, shattering a store-front window, screaming obscenities, beaten but belligerently unbowed by his nearly pointless existence. Through sheer accident, he takes temporary refuge in a charity shop where he meets Hannah (Olivia Colman), a quiet and deeply religious woman who offers him gentle kindness. Although their initial meeting ends badly as Joseph rebuffs her pity, he returns later to ask for her help in seeing a dying friend through the last few days of his life. A tenuous relationship is born, and slowly they share bits and pieces of their sad histories. Joseph is unemployed, bitter and alone; since the death of his wife, he has been sleeping in a shed behind his house, with only the dog as his comrade in despair. Hannah lives in an upscale development that disguises the horrors of her marital misery, using her faith in God’s love as a disclaimer to all things dark and hateful that she and others must endure. Both characters witness acts of monstrous cruelty, each is scarred for life by what they have seen and done. — kp

Buried Treasure

A Simple Life – Gently moving, yet full of complex relationships that are never fully explored, Ann Hui’s A SIMPLE LIFE chronicles the relationship between ‘Ah-Tao’ and her ‘godson’ Roger. These words are in quotes, because in actuality, ‘Ah-Tao’ is a nickname for the woman who worked as a maid for Roger’s family over 60 years. She essentially raised Roger, who is now a successful film producer. After Ah-Tao suffers a stroke, Roger is slowly moved to care for her while she spends her last months in a home. Deannie Yip and Andy Lau are magnificient as the leads, and Ann Hui uses a light touch to tell a beautiful story, even while hinting at class issues separating the privileged from the working class. — mrc

Alps – The follow-up film to Giorgos Lanthimos’ Buried Treasure winner DOGTOOTH is a fascinating portrait of identity and grief. A small group including a young nurse, take on various roles to help people deal with a variety of difficult circumstances, especially loss. As the film progresses, it becomes difficult to tell when the characters are actually playing themselves or playing a part. Aggeliki Papoulia, who stars and produces and also played a featured role in DOGTOOTH leads a pack of strong performances, and Lanthimos’ screenplay retains the quirkiness and originality of his previous film, but tells a more cohesive and moving story. –mrc

Beauty is Embarrassing – The portrait of the artist as a perpetually young-at-heart man, Beauty is Embarrassing tells the story of Wayne White, the cartoonist/designer/puppeteer/
voice-over artist/painter, perhaps best known as one of the creative minds behind the groundbreaking series Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. Put on your giant LBJ head, strap on your banjo, and enjoy the ride as director Neil Berkeley takes us on a journey through White’s life and work. — hn

Breathing – BREATHING documents the extraordinary: the emergence of an institutionalized child murderer into the outside world. Director Markovics gets tremendous performances from all his actors. He directs every scene with precision and meaning. His script imbues the characters with his deep sense of psychology and empathy. The film is photographed beautifully with a great attention to detail that lends additional impact to the story. — bk

Oslo, August 31 – Melancholy, austere, and remarkably quiet, OSLO, AUGHST 31 follows Anders (Anders Danielson Lie, the lead from director Joachim Trier’s REPRISE), a drug addict, on a one-day leave from rehab to his hometown to interview for a job and visit family and friends. The film’s great, profound tragedy is that, without the drugs, Anders has lost the will to live—he’s unable to comprehend and enjoy the beauty encircling him, as seen through Oslo, which nearly acts as the film’s other main character. We see him drift through a city (and traces of a former existence) teeming with life and pleasures running the gamut from the mundane to the sublime. It’s a cold, uncompromising yet strangely buoyant film—it offers no easy answers for its protagonist, but at the very least, without being preachy or heavy-handed, it potentially inspires us to consider what makes our own lives worth living for. — ck

Sound of Noise – Anarchy orchestrated through crimes of music! A band of musicians — 4 drummers, a composer, and a conductor — plan sneak attacks on urban institutions (a hospital, a bank, a concert hall, the city power-grid) through performance of brilliant but bizarre compositions for non-musical instruments. A tone-deaf police detective is assigned to make sense of the cacophony of clues left behind by the abstract artists-cum-terrorists, and anticipate where they might strike next. — kp

Best Director

Wes Anderson for Moonrise Kingdom – Although ostensibly set in the present, Wes Anderson’s previous films felt lost in time, suggesting not a specific date but an imaginative space where memories converged and coalesced. Here, he’s finally made a deliberate period piece set in the late summer of 1965. Committing to a specific era allows him to recreate it without at all seeming obsolescent. Unsurprisingly, everything from the wardrobe to the soundtrack impeccably evokes a year one could easily surmise even without expository assistance from Bob Balaban (the film’s narrator). However, Anderson’s growth as a director really comes through in the film’s subject matter. Although he’s addressed the notion of first love before, he’s never explored it as robustly and beautifully as he does here with protagonists Sam and Suzy. The extended section where they run off together hits a crescendo of feeling and warmth that surpasses anything Anderson has previously tried in this vein, making Moonrise Kingdom one of his most moving and accomplished efforts. — ck

Jacques Audiard for Rust and Bone – Audiard’s currency is the turbulent life of the underclasses; his characters are unlike those from any other filmmaker. Often violent or extreme, they often have balancing characteristics that make them one-of-a-kind. In RUST AND BONE, a love story about a disabled killer whale trainer and a streetwise kick boxer, Avoiding cliché and sentiment, Audiard creates a world that is both visually exciting and engaging. — bk

Hirokazu Koreeda for I Wish – In I WISH, Mr. Koreeda continues to show that he is the master of capturing childhood on film. He tells the story of a boy longing to reunite his family almost completely from the point of view of the boy, his brother, and their friends. Although their audacity astonishes, Mr. Koreeda convinces us that, given sufficient will, even children can, despite their youth, learn to accept what life brings, even if it is defeat, to gain confidence in their boldness, and to move on. That is a lesson even we adults can learn from. — jp

Sarah Polley for Take This Waltz – From a distinguished acting career to an impressive turn as a filmmaker, Sarah Polley continues to stun arthouse audiences with her work. TAKE THIS WALTZ is a love story for anyone who has had their heart stomped on, or who has fallen hopelessly in lust at first sight, or who has questioned decision that make them feel they’re unable to make changes in their lives without upsetting a thousand apple carts in the process. The film’s cozy yet lush mise en scene telegraphs the excitement that lurks just next door if we open our eyes and hearts, but also reminds us that the lives we’ve chosen may be full of untapped beauty. Polley’s depiction of the powerful pull of self-sabotage and its connection to fate, timing and desire is nowhere more stunningly depicted than in a carnivalesque scene serenaded by the Buggles’ hit song “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Whirling amid colored lights, breathless from speed and loss offocus, the song punctuates the moment wherein the lovers are about to cross the abyss. The lyrics, as ever, are a wise paean to the weakness we all have for glamour over substance, danger over comfort, passion over companionship. The choice of this song (like the Leonard Cohen song that gives the film its title and narrates its masterful time-lapse montage near the end) is so odd and brilliant it can only be seen as a stroke of genius. Yup — pa

Michael R. Roskam for Bullhead – Director Michael R Roskam brings us a complex crime thriller, wrapped around a character study of a man who is bludgeoned by the past and raging against the present. Jacky Vanmarsenille was savagely attacked as a young boy, an act which will have traumatic repercussions on the rest of his life. Matthias Schoenart plays the adult Jacky, bulked up and volatile, managing the family cattle ranch and lured into a business deal with a mobster trafficking in growth hormones. The scheme is quickly complicated by the murder of a federal agent, multiple errors in the cover-up of the crime, and an accidental connection to a key figure in Jacky’s past. Roskam’s film is laced with acid and dosed with steroids, every scene harbors dangerous elements crawling and brawling toward the savage climax. From the memories of a past that haunts and tortures him, to his feral efforts to control his destiny, Schoenart’s performance is heart-breaking; the audience cannot help but hold pity for the tortured child within him, even as they recognize the dangerous beast he has become. — kb

Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild – A good director takes their audience to a completely new world. A great director transports them to a world – and makes them want to stay. Needless to say, Benh Zeitlin, the director of BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is a great director. The Bathtub, the center of the Universe for the pint-sized powerhouse Hushpuppy, isn’t an easy world to live in, but it’s HERS, and Zeitlin makes it ours as well. His directing style is all-encompassing, yet feels intimate and humane, never cloying, and utterly breathtaking. – kab

Best Actress

Olivia Colman for the role Hannah of in Tyrannosaur – Olivia Colman is simply wonderful in what must be a breakthrough role for her, that of a Hannah, a middleclass housewife whose husband abuses her in every way possible: physically, emotionally, verbally and sexually. Slowly and subtly, Colman reveals that her character has not one but two coping devices, God and the bottle. A truly moving performance. — bk

Marion Cotillard for the role of Stéphanie in Rust and Bone – We as viewers often forget the physical part of acting largely because it is so natural and because character development – one of the most frequently criticized aspects of filmmaking – is accomplished more with delivery of lines and facial expression. In a bravura performance Marion Cotillard blends intense physical challenges and emotional swings as she portrays a woman who loses both her legs in a freak accident.– bk

Helen Hunt for the role of Cheryl in The Sessions – Based on a true story, THE SESSIONS tells the story of how Mark O’Brien, a polio survivor played brilliantly by John Hawkes, hired a sex therapist to help him loose his virginity. As Cheryl, the “surrogate”, Helen Hunt delivers a nuanced, stellar performance. Although she is matter of fact about the six ‘session’ limit, she exudes warmth as she leads Mark through some understandably awkward moments and, as a result, develops a relationship with Mark that is moving and understandable. Hunt’s portrayal of Cheryl is poignant, smart and humorous. — vo

Aubrey Plaza for the role of Darius in Safety Not Guaranteed – Parks and Recretaions’ Aubrey Plaza is known for her deadpan, sarcastic delivery on the popular sitcom. In SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, Aubrey takes a leading role in a film that has elements of science fiction, young adult angst, and romantic comedy, and she does so with some of her trademark, deadpan cool, yet fleshes her role out with some moving emotion, and moments of undisguised, but gentle happiness. It’s a great role for an actress so recognizable from television, one that allows her to stretch, and show her acting ability, but not so far that it is unrecognizable to her fans. Despite this indie film’s limited reach, this role is sure to give Aubrey a chance to move on to additional roles that allow her to show her acting abilit. — mrc

Quvenzhané Wallis for the role of Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild – There is no other way to put this, so I’m just going to say it flat-out: Quvenzhane’ Wallis is a complete and utter revelation. She bringS a power and a passion to her role as Hushpuppy in BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD that other actresses will NEVER be able to duplicate no matter their age. Her boundless energy make sure that the viewer’s eyes will NEVER leave the screen when she is on it. She possesses talent that will only get better as she matures, and her role in BEASTS in the launching pad for a stellar career. — kb

Best Actor

John Hawkes for the role of Mark O’Brien in The Sessions – Hawkes plays poet/ journalist Mark O’Brien whose body, as a result of childhood polio, has lost most of its muscle but retains sensation. It is twisted and painfully thin—and virginal. In his character’s quest for sexual connection, Hawkes conveys the fearsome newness and sometimes humiliation of the touch of another’s body. And despite being able to move only his head, the actor captures O’Brien’s spirit: indomitable, winsome, chatty, and downright funny. — djy

Frank Langella for the role of Frank in Robot & Frank – There aren’t many actors who could make us believe that they were a retired cat burglar who is starting to lose his sharp wit due to old age and needs to be cared for by a robot that he eventually befriends. Yet consummate actor Frank Langella does so with humor and emotion. Assisted by a terrific cast that includes Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, and Peter Sarsgaard as the voice of Frank’s caretaker robot, Langella beautifully portrays the reengerizing of his character, even as his memory deteriorates even further. While Langella captured imaginations with his dreamily romantic portrayal of Dracula in the late 70’s, his deep, resonant voice and masterful performances have shown that has he gets older, his acting just keeps improving. — mrc

Denis Lavant for the role of M. Oscar/Le banquier/La mendiante/L’OS de Motion-Capture/M. Merde/Le père/L’accordéoniste/Le tueur/Le tué/Le mourant/L’homme au foyer in Holy Motors – Lavant’s wildly divergent multiple roles in HOLY MOTORS is an actor’s dream. Playing an actor in a surreal, life-is-performance metaphor, Lavant cycles through an ever changing series of characters that call upon a lifetime of acting skill. He channels that extreme physicality exhibited so marvellously in Claire Denis’ BEAU TRAVAIL and the quirky manic charateristics he demonstrated in TUVALU. In addition, he plays a dying father, a killer, a family man and more, most notably the actor who portrays them alll. Few could pull off this challenging and bizarre role, yet Lavant does so with aplomb. — mrc

Peter Mullan for the role of Joseph in Tyrannosaur – In a ferocious performance, Peter Mullan plays Joseph, a man fairly spitting rage. We wonder at the outset if we can stand to spend ninety minutes with him. But Mr. Mullan gives Joseph a saving grace, that he carries enough self-awareness to know that his fury must be tamed or it will destroy him. So we continue to watch, fascinated to see if he can purge this scourge before he is consumed by it. It’s a twisty path he takes; sometimes he acts reprehensibly, but gradually he manages to blunt the sharp edge of his anger and we see a sketchy humanity begin to emerge. There are no epiphanies in this role, no easy wins. It is a testament to Mr. Mullan’s skill that Joseph’s character takes that full ninety minutes to emerge, and that he keeps us fully engaged in his transformation throughout the course of the movie. — jp

Matthias Schoenaerts for the role of Jacky Vanmarsenille in Bullhead – Our first glimpse of main character Jacky is as a hulking menace, towering over an older cattle farmer and demanding that he continue in a shady business arrangement. In the very next scene, we see Jacky naked – a mass of muscled meat, preparing to inject himself with steroids. Over the course of the film, his rage builds to cataclysmic heights over each portion of his life that remains beyond his control, including his clumsy efforts to connect with a woman, and the bloody aftermath when he fails. Schoenaerts brings us a complex character, violent and volatile in his personal and business relationships, with only a few remnants of the gentler person he “might have been” lurking under his own self-loathing.– kp

Matthias Schoenaerts for the role of Alain van Versch in Rust and Bone – Having walked into RUST AND BONE expecting it to focus primarily on Marion Cotillard’s character, it was a surprise to see just as much weight given to her male co-star. Matthias Schoenaerts’ Ali actually dominates the film’s first few scenes as we watch him and his young son move to a new town to live with his estranged sister. Unemployed and broke, Ali is a bit of a thug and seems conflicted between becoming a proper father (finding respectable work as a bouncer) and giving in to his own less savory impulses (roughing up himself and others for money via illicit kickboxing matches). Fortunately, Schoenaerts brings an estimable complexity and nuance to Ali. He keeps him from seeming like an unsympathetic brute, particularly in his interactions with Stephanie (Cotillard), which, over the course of the film evolve from basic physical attraction to something deeper and indefinite. By the film’s cathartic conclusion, Ali is a changed man, thanks to Schoenaerts’ fully convincing emotional transformation. — ck

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams for the role of Peggy Dodd in The Master – Amy Adams has made a fine career for herself, playing sweet, good characters with her girl-next-door charm. As Peggy Dodd, the wife of movement-leaders Lancaster Dodd, Adams shows us a whole new side of herself; a chilling, tough-as-nails driving force that shows us the real power behind the movement. It’s a revalatory performance that will be remembered for a long time. I know I son’t be able to get the image of the bathroom scene with co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman out of my mind for a long time to come. — mrc

Moon Bloodgood for the role of Vera in The Sessions – When Moon Bloodgood makes her first appearance in THE SESSIONS, I think she’s going to be a one-note character in a very small role, playing a stern, humorless assistant to disease-ridden Mark O’Brien. Nothing could be further from the truth. As perhaps the most interesting in a series of strong women characters in this surprising film, Bloodgood infuses Vera with dry wit, understated compassion, and a practical strength with just the raise of an eyebrow, or a surprised glance. Truly the mark of a great supporting actor, Bloodgood draws attention in every scene she is in, from her slightly severe appearance to her surprising depth. I would be hard-pressed to think of a performance I enjoyed more this year. — mrc

Rosemarie Dewitt for the role of Iris in Your Sister’s Sister – “All three members of the main cast are excellent, with chemistry between them that seems just right. DeWitt is especially good, not quite snatching the movie away from a very affable-but-wounded Duplass (whose Jack had been the viewpoint character until Hannah appeared) but establishing a parallel but very different character very quickly.” — js

Edith Scob for the role of Céline in Holy Motors – Ghostly and spare, the mysterious Céline, in her exquisitely tailored pantsuit, squires her charge, M. Oscar around Paris in an immaculate limousine. She is hardly there, except when she is. She is, by turns, brisk and caring, and utterly at ease behind the wheel, the consummate chauffeur and aide-de-camp. In the end, she dons a mask, and we know that whatever humanity she possesses appears only to her charge and only when she is on duty. Céline is the epitome of the supporting role, minimalist yet rich in detail, and Ms. Scob plays it to perfection. — jp

Jacki Weaver for the role of Dolores in Silver Linings Playbook – Jacki has been nicknamed the ‘Australian Sally Field’ by Aussie journalists for years, but first came to our attention in a big way in 2010, winning my Poppy for Best Supporting Actress for her turn as Janine ‘Grandma Smurf’ Cody in the intense crime thriller ANIMAL KINGDOM – she later copped her first Oscar nomination for it as well. This year, back on American soil, we get to see the lighter side of Weaver. This time, she tackles a Philly accent as Dolores Solitano, a loving wife and mom who’s put her neck on the line to get her adult son Pat Jr an early release from a mental institution in David O Russell’s critical smash SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. Playing off beautifully with Robert DeNiro as her obsessive-compulsive husband Pat Sr and Bradley Cooper as son Pat Jr, it’s easy to see that Dolores is the centerpiece of the Solitano family, and she sometimes has a hard time with the role, but she also wouldn’t have it any other way. She loves her husband, she loves her sons (even though son Jake can be a bit of a jerk), and will stop at nothing to mend the family back together again. Weaver’s subtle but powerful influence in the role landed her a second Oscar nomination, and a nomination for the role with the Trudys as well. And why not? She absolutely deserves it. And maybe she’ll make some “homemades” and “crabby snacks” for the ceremony too! — tck

Best Supporting Actor

Ezra Miller for the role of Patrick in The Perks of Being a Wallflower – What can be said about Ezra Miller that hasn’t already been said by me over the past three years? I think Miller is one of the greatest young actors of his generation – possibly one of the greatest EVER. And after getting almost completely ignored by the American awards circuit for his titular role in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN last year, he really deserves to be recognized this year. His character, Patrick, is perhaps the first real positive gay teen character ever – Patrick is very self assured on the outside, while inside he longs for acceptance by everyone for who he is, not just by his friends. Ezra brings a flair for life and for love to the character, and a sense of compassion as well – despite their different grades, there is no doubt that Patrick and Charlie really do become fast friends, and there’s no phoniness to the friendship at all. The two characters develop a deep bond through similar music tastes and their affection for Sam, and you believe every second of it. And besides, anyone who can do a Frank N Furter almost better than original “Rocky Horror” star Tim Curry deserves some consideration, and Ezra is unforgettable when he dons the outfit. — tck

Dwight Henry for the role of Wink in Beasts of the Southern Wild – Like his celebrated young co-star Quvenzhane Wallis, middle-aged Dwight Henry never acted in a film before he was cast as Wink, the patriarch in Beasts of the Southern Wild. In fact, he worked in a bakery he owned across the street from the film’s casting agency in New Orleans. As with Wallis, a naturalness that cannot fully be taught permeates Henry’s performance as a man taking care of his daughter on a weather-ravaged island off the Louisiana Coast. A survivor of both Hurricanes Katrina and Betsy (the latter when he was two years old), Henry also brings lived-in experience to the part. As Wink, he shows tenderness and care towards his daughter, but also tough love: he’s crafty and giving, but never coddling or sentimental. He instills in his daughter the strength she’ll need to survive without him and their relationship gives Beasts its poignancy. — ck

Philip Seymour Hoffman for the role of Lancaster Dodd in The Master- “We all admire Phil as an actor. The range of characters he has portrayed is astounding. As Lancaster Dodd, Phil takes on a larger than life, charismatic leader of a religious/scientific movement, walking the line between brilliant, motivational teacher and egomaniacal con artist. While it is no surprise that he masters this role in a way that is both believable, and makes you wish that he was the focus of the film, he also does it effortlessly. This is one of the most comfortable performances I have seen Phil give; the character seemed to flow out of him so narturally. While he clearly seemed to be enjoying playing this larger-than-life role, it couldn’t have been easy. Singing not once, but twice, I can only imagine how difficult it was for Phil to croon an a capella version of ‘Slow boat to China’ to a bewildered Joaquin Phoenix. Without Philip Seymour Hoffman, THE MASTER just wouldn’t have been all that masterful.” — mrc

SIsaac Leyva f for the role of Marco in Any Day Now – In an industry that prefers to hire non-disabled actors for disabled roles and award them for their physical transformation, it is edifying to see a disabled actor getting a chance and nailing the role. Isaac Leyva – born with Down syndrome – plays his role with great emotional depth and amazing warmth. — sb

Matthew McConaughey for the role of Danny Buck in Bernie – Carthage, Texas loves its funeral director, Bernie Tiede. So when Bernie is accused of murdering his companion, the wealthy and annoying Mrs. Nugent, no one in the town can believe. The only skeptic is Danny Buck, the driven District Attorney, played by Matthew McConaughey. He’s a bit of braggart and refuses to see the case against Bernie halted. He is perfect as the showboating lawyer determined to prosecute Bernie. — vo

Best Original Screenplay

IT’S A TIE!

Moonrise Kingdom, screenplay by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola – Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola co-scripted this whimsical tale of two young teens who fall in love and decide to set out on their own: Sam, an orphan running away from Summer Camp and all the mini-miseries inflicted on him by his fellow scouts; and Suzy, whose parents are attorneys so entrenched in their work that every conversation is an exchange of torts, arbitration, and settlement. Their plan is made complicated by the impending “Storm of the Century”, and the difficulties of hiding on a very small New England island with dozens of scouts on their trail. Together with Coppola (who collaborated with him on THE DARJEELING LIMITED), Anderson delivers what has become his stock in trade story-telling technique: an assortment of off-beat and oddball characters, whose deadpan delivery of dialogue is archly self-aware, while the plot careens, slips, slides, and snowballs toward its cheerful denouement. — kp

Take This Waltz, screenplay by Sarah Polley – On the surface, Sarah Polley’s screenplay for TAKE THIS WALTZ seems fairly straight-forward, and for some, difficult to appreciate, but come on, this is Sarah Polley we’re talking about. There is something simmering in almost every scene, sometimes obvious, sometimes fairly subtly. She shows us a relationship that looks positive and successful on the surface, but through repeated scenes of their interaction, we see just how dysfunctional it really is. She also draws a complex portrait of a woman who is always searching for more, and can’t seem to find contentment with herself. Polley also writes with a refreshingly female point-of-view, which is rare in film, where the male gaze is so prevalant. And while all this sounds pretty cerebral, Polley’s screenplay is filled with heart and emotion. It’s a mature work from an actor/writer/director who has always seemed wise beyond her years. — mrc

I Wish, screenplay by Hirokazu Koreeda – In these cynical times, writing a screenplay about a group of children going on a journey searching for a miracle runs into the danger of being too precious for words. Not so with I WISH, the beautiful screenplay penned by Hirokazu Koreeda. Sometimes funny, at times poignant, always engaging and entertaining, Koreeda’s words reach out and touch the heart without making the viewer feel manipulated. And his words make magic happen – not an easy thing to do. — kb

Robot & Frank, screenplay by Christopher D. Ford – ROBOT & FRANK is the first feature film script from Christopher Ford, about Frank, a retired cat burglar experiencing the early stages of dementia, and a robot companion given to him by his son Hunter. The script blends science fiction, drama, humor, and suspense, not lingering too long in any one genre. The setting is a near-future with just enough extra gadgetry to make it feel both familiar and unusual. The humor of Frank’s initial animosity towards the robot before repurposing it as heist apprentice is offset by the drama (never overwrought) of Frank’s troubled family relationships and his struggles with memory. A brilliantly crafted independent film – simply staged but multi-layered, thought-provoking but entertaining. — tp/pe

Safety Not Guaranteed, screenplay by Derek Connolly – A true indie film, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED is fresh, funny and touching thanks in large part to Derek Connolly’s inventive screenplay. Connelly used a real classified ad as the starting point for the film’s story about a newspaper editor who takes two interns with him to find out more about the man who placed an ad for a time travel companion. The script focuses on the relationship that blossoms between one of the interns, Darius, (Aubrey Plaza) and the ad man, Kenneth (Mark Duplass). The script avoids the obvious and keeps viewers guessing until the film’s finale.– vo

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, screenplay by Stephen Chbosky, based on his novel – Adapting one’s own novel for the silver screen is no easy task, particularly when that novel is widely considered a classic of young adult literature. Not only did Stephen Chbosky write the screenplay for the film version of his 1999 novel, he also directed it. The film makes some significant changes from the novel, mostly for length and to fit within the boundaries of the PG-13 rating, but it retains the intelligence, witty dialogue, and tenderness that made this coming-of-age tale so special in book from. The story follows aspiring writer Charlie (Logan Lerman) as he experiences the joys and heartbreaks of his freshman year in high school, accompanied by his new best friends, Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller). Not content to merely be another high school movie, it tackles heavy issues such as mental illness, homophobia and childhood sexual abuse in a poignant and emotionally honest manner. Aided by Oscar-worthy performances, a soundtrack featuring The Smiths and David Bowie, and a refusal to condescend to the target audience, Perks is every bit as affecting as its source material. This is a film that will be cherished by teens and former teens alike for decades to come. — mt

Beast of the Southern Wild, screenplay by Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, based on the play by Lucy Alibar – BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD was adapted from a one-act stage play “Juicy and Delicious.” Though the film has deservedly garnered accolades for its visuals, at the core of the story is the relationship between Hushpuppy (a young boy in the play, a girl in the film) and her strict yet loving father. While Hushpuppy’s everyday life is fired by her vivid imagination, she also contends with some unpleasant adult realities. The magical realism of Hushpuppy’s world of the Bathtub grabs the audience’s attention, but on a deeper level is a personal tale based on the author’s own experience with strained family relationships, illness, and loss. — tp/pe

Killer Joe, screenplay by Terry Letts, based on his play – KILLER JOE, adapted for the screen by Tracy Letts, based on his original play of the same name. This darkly comic thriller follows a cast of wholly unlikeable characters on a roller coaster ride that will plunge most of them into hell. The main character, Chris (Emile Hirsch), is a young drug dealer in deep doo-doo with a loan shark. The solution he contrives for paying off his debt is to have his mother, Adele, murdered by a stone-cold police detective going by the name of Killer Joe (Matt McConnaughey), who sidelines as a hit-man. Chris’s father and step-mother (Thomas Hayden Church and Gina Gershon) stumble into the mess, demanding their share of the insurance money — apparently, NOBODY likes Adele — and eventually Chris’s younger sister Dottie (Juno Temple) is hoodwinked into being held as the “retainer” for Killer Joe’s services. Virtually nothing goes as planned, and the action goes from grim to gruesome as these losers and lowlifes race toward the Mexican stand-off at the finish line.– kp

The Sessions, screenplay by Ben Lewin based on the article by Mark O’Brien – The transformation to screen of Mark O’Brien’s 1990 article, “On Seeing a Sex Surrogate,” could have gone horribly awry. The story of an essentially immobilized virgin who hires someone for sex has great capacity for voyeurism, cheap laughs, or treacle. But screenwriter (and director) Ben Lewin, like O’Brien a survivor of childhood polio, gives the material a light touch. He creates a frisky comedy/romance, and the most heartwarming film of the year. Lucky for us, THE SESSIONS takes O’Brien’s real-life story further than the original material, bringing even greater emotional satisfaction. Elements added from the surrogate’s p.o.v. deepen the emotional texture of the film. — djy

Silver Linings Playbook, screenplay by David O. Russell based on the novel by Matthew Quick – One can effortlessly categorize most films with a single descriptive phrase, but David O. Russell’s adaptation of Matthew Quick’s novel proves an exception to this rule. Sure, it’s most easily promotable as a romantic comedy, with Pat (Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) meeting unexpectedly, sparking off one another and overcoming personal and societal obstacles to eventually fall in love (complete with a climactic ballroom dancing contest!). But the film is also just as much a kitchen sink drama as it focuses on Pat’s mental illness, its origins and his struggle in readjusting to life following a period of hospitalization. These disparate genres repeatedly bump up against each other, bottling up tension until it explodes in scenes like one where Tiffany suddenly and masterfully holds her own in an argument with Pat’s entire family. With this shifting of tones and no shortage of colorful dialogue, Silver Linings Playbook at times feels agreeably closer to a Mike Leigh film than your average awards-season crowd pleaser. — ck

Best Cinematography

Mihai Malaimare Jr. for The Master – A colleague of mine noted that watching THE MASTER projected in 70mm was like viewing stained glass; I imagine it looks nearly as good on streaming video. Paul Thomas Anderson’s enigmatic, post-war study of a man who falls under the spell of a cult-like leader inspired debate over its narrative merits and some of its performances, but most viewers probably agreed that visually, it was nothing less than a tour de force. The neatest trick here is how the film uses a widescreen canvas (it was shot in 65mm) but continually directs its attention to tightly closed spaces and people’s faces (at times, I was almost certain a distorting filter was being used on Joaquin Phoenix’s uncommonly rubbery mug). From the first scene, it’s so compelling that you don’t dare look away from the screen, no matter how unpleasant or challenging the imagery on display. — ck

Sung Fai Choi – for Flying Swords of Dragon Gate – One of the hardest things about a 3-D film is that the background sometimes gets blurred out and ignored in favor of all the objects flying out of the screen. Not so in “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate”, thanks to the stunning cinematography of Sung Fai Choi. The scenery springs to life in glorious texture in this film, from the decadent opulence of mighty palaces to the austere and savage beauty of the rolling deserts, all under Choi’s exquisite, detail-driven touch. — kb

Ben Richardson for Beasts of the Southern Wild – Cinematographer Ben Richardson captures the many facets of the bayou country of Louisiana. One minute the landscape is a fantasy world of magic and tranquility and the next a living hell ravaged by the cruelest forces of nature. Beautifully interwoven into the story are visions of past and future: prehistoric wild boars and melting solar ice caps. — bk

Gökhan Tirya for Once Upon a Time in Anatolia – Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s films are all exquisitely shot, bringing not only beauty, but a strong emotion through use of the camera alone. His last three films were all collaborations with cinematographer Gökhan Tirya, and ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA is perhpas the strongest example of their effective collaboration. Just watch the amazing opening scene, where a desolate landscape, shrouded in the darkness of night, is broken only by a series of car headlights making their way over a windy mountain road. Many of the scenes in the first hour of the film are shot to represent only having the lights of these cars’ headlights as illumination. Later scenes shot in a small village where the characters take a break create a complex mixture of cozy warmth, and something darker lurking beneath it. And the final half of the film, shot mostly in a makeshift hospital make effectuve use of close-ups and subtle camerawork to underscore the moral questions the characters face. — mrc

Robert D. Yeoman for Moonrise Kingdom – D.P. Robert D.Yeoman crafts a giddy but tautly controlled sense of movement for this film. The 360-degree panorama views of the cavernous houses, the shots of woods and cove that make the tiny island seem endless, the oddly angled framing of characters, the superb timing and choreography of all the moving parts that create moments of deadpan whimsy and suspenseful shock, are a crucial component of this hilarious, scary and moving story of life and love during the summer camping season, wherein a group of upper middle class adolescents strut their superhuman survival skills and subvert the community’s social hierarchy.– pa

Best Production Design

Alex DiGerlando for Beasts of the Southern Wild – This film takes place in a world that is gritty yet completely magical, appropriate to the imagination of Hushpuppy, the six-year old protagonist. She lives with her father in “The Bathtub,” full of ramshackle houses and taverns. One challenge of the film beyond creating this unique world was creating the world before, during, and after the flood, essentially creating triplicates of locations in Montegut, Louisiana. From the whimsical boat used to navigate floodwaters, to the almost ethereal bordello, to the construction of the beasts themselves, to the sterile hospital sitting in stark contrast to the world of the Bathtub, this film overcomes a limited budget to provide a richly-detailed realization of a child’s mind. — tp/pe

Ricardo Almsfor Keyhole – Ricardo Alms designed a haunted mansion trapped inside a carnival fun house as the setting for Guy Maddin’s Keyhole. The main character, Ulysses Pick (Jason Patric) bursts into his childhood home with a drowned hostage and a stuffed wolverine, after a shootout with the police who have surrounded the house, demanding his surrender. Ulysses works his way through the house, wandering through a labyrinth of locked rooms and claustrophobic hallways, cubbyholes and stairwells inhabited by ghosts and decorated with Freudian nightmares. The set design invokes German Expressionist films, with harsh lights and looming shadows splayed over implausible architectural lines, a bog at the center of the house, and the oddly placed dusty penis or electric chair. — kp

Sarah Greenwood for Anna Karenina – Joe Wright’s ANNA KARENINA is a sumptuous adaptation of Tolstoy’s Russian novel. The use of an elegant, but old theatre for the film’s action allows Sarah Greenwood’s production design team to create an excessive but stunning visual palette. The period costumes are detailed and magnificent; the sets are elaborate. The camera captures the Russian landscape through the use of lighting and angles. — vo

Florian Sanson for Holy Motors – Florian Sanson paints the canvas for a dreamy sci-fi fantasy, where the scenes float between metaphorical allusions to art, film and literature and the hyper-real illusions of the digitalized world. The main character, Oscar, is chauffeured around Paris in a white limousine, as he prepares himself with make-up, costumes, and props to act out a series of unrelated scenes. He transforms himself into a haggard old woman begging on the streets; a motion-capture actor performing flights of sexual fantasy on a green-screened sound stage; a filthy grotesque who snatches a beautiful model being photographed in a famous Parisian cemetery (but all the headstones now read “Visit my website at ….”) and drags her into the sewer, where he transforms her into a Muslim woman shrouded from head to toe. His other assignments include an assassination, an angry father lecturing his daughter, a brief (and amusing) musical interlude, and a suicide; each scenario is carefully staged and redolent with images that will feel both familiar and strange. The day’s journey is an enigma, and the audience is not informed as to the purpose of the performances, we simply go along for the ride. — kp

Adam Stockhausen for Moonrise Kingdom – This dreamy, surreal confection from Wes Anderson seems a culmination of his deepest obsessions with love, memory, violence, color, and the rhythms of daily living. Add nature to the mix and the production designer has a formidable challenge to fulfill. The film’s visual intricacy and formality are perfectly balanced to its moments of barely contained rage, humiliation and passion. Bob Balaban dressed like a gaudy Christmas elf is a fitting counterpoint to the “beige lunatics” who seem to be both guarding and terrorizing this tiny enclave. Yellow, the color of fear, is a terrifying presence here, and it is little wonder the foster child living within it has not been tamed by it. The soft pinks and reds worn by the ingenue tempt us to follow her into an idyllic realm of possibility, but the turquoise gadgetry (that record player) and looming bodies of water are visual barriers that separate our misfit lovers until they are ready to finally come together. This story could be told with the sound off but we’re so fortunate it isn’t; the end credits with a vocal introduction of each orchestral instrument are a brilliant end to a wild ride steeped in sentimental lunacy. — pa

Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast

Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson will probably always remain a polarizing auteur. In this coming-of-age adventure set along the mid-1960s New England coast, he doesn’t exactly alter his style or absolve himself of the quirks that all but define him. However, the man still knows how to cull together an amazing ensemble. A few usual suspects for the director (such as Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman) appear, but the majority of the cast here are Anderson newbies: Frances McDormand as Murray’s megaphone-spewing wife, Edward Norton as an earnest scout troop leader, Tilda Swinton as a fearfully efficient woman who goes by the name (and occupation) “Social Services” and, most revelatory, Bruce Willis as a pragmatic, lonely cop. At the film’s center are teens Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, both first-time film actors whose naturalness provides an intriguing contrast to the whimsy surrounding them. — ck

Killer Joe – Acting is all about chemistry. When the chemistry is just right, amazing things happen. And the five people that make up the majority of the cast in KILLER JOE have just the right chemistry. There’s Matthew McConaughey as “Killer” Joe Cooper, a cop who moonlights as an assassin, who seems just crazy enough under his calm cool demeanor to really scare the hell out of you. There’s the always-fantastic Emile Hirsch as Chris, a white trash drug dealer who’s in over his head and hopes Joe can help him out by murdering his hateful mom. There’s Juno Temple as Dottie, Chris’ little sister, who is more than a little touched in the head and who becomes the apple of Joe’s eye. Round out these three with Thomas Haden Church as Chris’ and Dottie’s trailer trash, somewhat thick father and Gina Gershon as his hateful, scheming wife, and you’ve got a real winner on your hands. Director William Friedkin makes the absolute best out of a stellar cast, most of whom are playing against type when it comes to roles they’re all previously known for. And it’s that chemistry they have together that makes this film one of the best of the year. — tck

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia – Great ensemble acting is what brings this slow-moving tale to life. As the core law enforcement group moves from place to place in the bleak Anatolian landscape, attempting to have the murderer locate the scene of the crime, the film becomes a marvelous character study of all those involved in the tedious investigation. — bk

The Perks of Being a Wallflower — One of the main ingredients for this film’s success is the casting. Logan Lerman is perfectly cast as the protagonist as are most of the students – both his friends and adversaries – and family members. It all adds up to creating one of the best coming-of-age stories of all time. — bk

A Royal Affair – This Danish film contains several standout performances adroitly balancing the personal and romantic with the political and philosophical. Mikkel Boe Følsgaard plays the “crazy” King who is more naïve and irrepressible, not suited to palace intrigue. Alicia Vikander is his wife in name only who is seduced both by Enlightenmentideals and their embodiment in the person of royal physician played by Mads Mikkelsen. Beyond the emotional complexity of the love triangle, the characters must also contend with political ambitions of the “old guard,” well represented by Trine Dyrholm as Juliane Marie and David Dencik as Ove Goldberg, trying to stymie the king’s attempts at reform. — tp/pe

Silver Linings Playbook – Give writer-director David O. Russell credit for crafting a clever and sympathetic portrait of people suffering from mental illnesses, but it is the cast who elevate SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK to the level of Best Picture material. Casting THE HANGOVER’s Bradley Cooper in the role of a bipolar man trying to salvage his broken marriage was a risky decision that paid off better than anyone could have expected. Gone is the smug egotism of his HANGOVER character, replaced with the fragility and determination of a man just released from an extended stay in a mental health facility as he attempts to rebuild his life and show his wife that he has changed. Robert De Niro delivers his finest work in many years as Pat’s father, a deeply superstitious Philadelphia Eagles fan who means well yet has a difficult time understanding his son. Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, and Shea Whigham each make an impression despite limited screen time. This film belongs to Jennifer Lawrence, an actress who has proven herself to be one of the best in the business at just 22 years of age. Her performance as emotionally damaged widow Tiffany Maxwell is her finest yet. The chemistry between Cooper and Lawrence is addictive, giving the film a unique spark that reminds us this is not the typical romantic comedy. It’s something far better than that. — mt

Best Documentary

How to Survive a Plague – HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE serves as a textbook for the pros and cons of various mechanisms surrounding a social movement responding to a crisis. The film concentrates on several activists who brought unique thinking and skills to the table. What director France does so admirably is document the importance of leadership. HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE leaves the viewer with a better understanding of the significance of both emotional and intellectual responses to a crisis. — bk

Central Park Five – In 1989, five Black and Hispanic boys were arrested after a white woman jogging in Central Park was raped and beaten into a coma. THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE exposes forced confessions, lack of concern for evidence, wrongful convictions, and years wasted in jail. Ultimately, all five men were declared innocent, but who was paying attention by then? In this eye-opening and sober doc, we hear the accused finally tell their own stories, unembellished. FIVE is not just about the racism and paranoia of that time and place, but the egregious flaws of our criminal justice system, and our lack of concern about justice miscarried. — djy

Detropia – In 1930, Detroit was America’s fastest-growing city. Today, in a postindustrial economy, it is the country’s fastest-shrinking one. In its meditative, collage-like approach, Detropia alternates stunning imagery of the city’s empty streets and ravaged, decaying landscapes with profiles of resilient citizens such as a young blogger and coffee-shop barista who explores abandoned buildings as an archeologist would, or a colorful owner of a restaurant and lounge that may be the only sign of life in one disappearing neighborhood. Although many interviewees are determined to remain, and the downtown area has recently seen a significant increase in its young adult population, Detroit remains on the verge of bankruptcy and a shell of its former self. Detropia beautifully, tragically captures a city in flux and acts as a cautionary tale for other urban communities on the brink of financial collapse. — ck

First Position – FIRST POSITION is a documentary featuring the interwoven stories of six young dancers preparing for the Youth America Grand Prix in New York City. Each child comes from varied age ranges and cultures, but all have the passion to succeed, in many cases sacrificing their childhoods for this dream. The film features the crucial segments of their performances in competition and their grueling preparation. Some are far from home; some have nagging parents or siblings coming along for the ride; each has a variety of coaches catering to their strengths and weaknesses. It is a beautiful and inspirational film for anyone, even those not particularly interested in dance. — tp/pe

The Queen of Versailles – – THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES is not your ordinary rags to riches to rags story. David and Jackie Siegel are people with blue collar roots living the high life after David’s success at Westgate Resorts. The family’s precipitous drop in standard of living as a result of the recession parallels (though at a different level) the pains of middle class families who might have overbought during the real estate boom. The conflict and tension as David tries to keep his business afloat and manage cash flow, while Jackie refuses to rein in her free-spending ways (hoarding everything from dogs to staff to childre to unfinished mansions), make this a compelling drama filled with unusual characters. — tp/pe