The Japanese drama “Drive My Car”The National Society of Film Critics has named it the best film of the year 2021. It met virtually on Saturday to pick its annual awards.
The film beat Celine Sciamma’s “Petit Maman,” which finished second, and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,”This was third. “Drive My Car” director Ryusuke Hamaguchi won the best-director award over Campion and Sciamma, with the citation also singling out Hamaguchi’s other 2021 film, the anthology drama “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy.”
Although the NSFC was an organization of U.S. media critics, a significant majority of the awards went to films that were not in English. This includes three of the four acting prizes. The award for “Drive My Car”This made it the fifth film that won the Critics Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Circle, and National Society of Film Critics.
The four first to do so were “Schindler’s List,” “L.A. Confidential,” “The Hurt Locker”And “The Social Network.”
Both the lead acting and best-actor awards were given to performances in English. Hidetoshi Nishijima won the best actor prize. “Drive My Car”Penelope Cruz wins best-actress award “Parallel Mothers.” Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”Simon Rex (“Red Rocket”) were runners-up to Nishijima, while Renate Reinsve (“The Worst Person in the World”) and Alana Haim (“Licorice Pizza”Cruz finished second behind ).
Anders Danielsen Lie continued to show non-English acting success in the supporting categories. “The Worst Person in the World,”Vincent Lindon was next. “Titane”Mike Faist is tied for the tie. “West Side Story”Kodi McPhee and Kodi Smith-McPhee “The Power of the Dog.”Ruth Negga was awarded the supporting-actress prize “Passing,”Ariana DeBose was the runners-up. “West Side Story”Jessie Buckley “The Lost Daughter.”
There were also awards for cinematography and screenplay. “Drive My Car”And “The Green Knight,” respectively. The animated Danish documentary won the Best Nonfiction Film category. “Flee.”
The Best Picture award was won by a film that is not in English. Therefore, the NSFC didn’t vote for its usual Best Foreign Language Film category.
Special Film Heritage Awards were given to Maya Cade (creator of the Black Film Archive) and to Bertrand Tavernier, Peter Bogdanovich, and recently deceased directors, critics, and film historians.
The National Society of Film Critics consists of 59 critics, though some members abstain from voting if they haven’t seen enough films. This group was founded in 1966. It has been making more unusual best-film choices over the years than the Oscars.
The last two years in a row, though, the NSFC winner – 2019’s “Parasite” and 2020’s “Nomadland” – went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. After only agreeing four times in 44 years, this gave them five matches over the past 12 years.
This year’s vote was dedicated to the critics Morris Dickstein and Michael Wilmington, longtime NSFC members who recently died. Voting is conducted using a weighted system for each voter’s first, second and third choices, with balloting continuing until one film is mentioned on the majority of ballots.
With points totals, the winners are:
The Best Picture: “Drive My Car” (48 points)
Runners-up: “Petit Maman” (25), “The Power of the Dog” (23)
Best Actor: Hidetoshi Nishijima, “Drive My Car” (63)
Runners-up: Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog” (44); Simon Rex, “Red Rocket” (30)
Best Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers” (55)
Runners-up: Renate Reinsve, “The Worst Person in the World” (42); Alana Haim, “Licorice Pizza” (32)
Best Supporting Actor: Anders Danielsen Lie “The Worst Person in the World” (54)
Runners-up: Vincent Lindon, “Titane” (33); Mike Faist, “West Side Story”(26) and Kodi McPhee “The Power of the Dog” (26)
Best Supporting Actress: Ruth Negga, “Passing” (46)
Runners-up: Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story” (22); Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter” (21)
Best DirectorRyusuke Hamanchi “Drive My Car”And “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” (46)
Runners-up: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog” (36), Celine Sciamma, “Petite Maman” (28)
Best ScreenplayRyusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe “Drive My Car” (46)
Runners-up: Pedro Almodovar, “Parallel Mothers” (22); Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza” (20)
Best Nonfiction Film: “Flee” (41)
Runners-up: “Procession”(28) “The Velvet Underground” (28)
Best Cinematography: Andrew Droz Palermo, “The Green Knight” (52)
Runners-up: Ari Wegner, “The Power of the Dog” (40); Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, “Memoria” (35)
Special citation given to film in U.S. distribution process: “Returning to Reims,” Jean-Gabriel Periot
Film Heritage AwardBertrand Tavernier & Peter Bogdanovich
Film Heritage AwardMaya Cade, Black Film Archive