I’m borrowing this blog post idea from my friend Chris at Kriofske Mix. As most of you know, I run an independent film society, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. Tonight marks our 18th annual Chlotrudis Awards Ceremony, when the winners of our 2011 awards are announced. You’ll find out who won after tonight, but I am going to post my votes here as an addendum to my favorite films of the year. Like Chris, I will also include some favorite choices that didn’t quite make this year’s ballot. My choice in each category is in bold.
Ensemble Cast
Another Year
Artist, The
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
Separation, A
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The Iranian film A Separation blew me away, and was my favorite film of 2011. The mix of professional and non-professional actors did an outstanding job telling this challenging story in a visceral and emotional way.
Should have been nominated: Meek’s Cutoff. Led by strong turns by Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Paul Dano and Shirley Henderson, this ensemble truly captured the pioneering spirit and the hardships of walking across this grand country.
Production Design
13 Assassins
Artist, The
Illusionist, The
Last Circus, The
Melancholia
Midnight in Paris
Lars von Trier’s Melancholia was sumptuous in it’s look and feel, from a grand, old estate tricked out for an expansive wedding, to the amazing experience of the end of the world, the production design on this film was mind-blowing.
Should have been nominated: Heartbeats. Xavier Dolan’s Heartbeats vibrated with a hipster vibe and a colorful palette that truly captured the tangle web of young people in love.
Cinematography
13 Assassins
Artist, The
Bellflower
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Melancholia
Tree of Life
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
The dreamy camerawork capturing the jungles of Thailand, and the dream landscapes of Uncle Boonmee’s past lives create a surreal tapestry in the latest film by Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Should have been nominated: Weekend. The intimate camerawork of Urszula Pontikos in Andrew Haigh’s Weekend works seamlessly with the charismatic performances of the two leads to create a believable portrait of two men meeting for a one-night stand and slowly falling love, or something very close to it over the course of a weekend. From long hours in a cramped apartment to an evening in a traveling amusement park, Pontikos captures the feeling in the visuals perfectly.
Adapted Screenplay
Descendants, The
Hedgehog, The
Higher Ground
Music Never Stopped, The
Submarine
This adaptation of Carolyn S. Briggs’ memoir beautifully captures one woman’s struggle with faith. The devout Christians in this community are three-dimensional, finely nuanced characters, and Corinne’s journey as she starts to question her faith is deftly and powerfully explored.
Should have been nominated: I’m satisfied with the nominations we got.
Original Screenplay
Another Year
Guard, The
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Poetry
Weekend
Andrew Haigh’s screenplay for Weekend was beautifully scripted, although both Martha Marcy May Marlene and Poetry gave it a run for its money.
Should have been nominated: I’ve got several films I would have liked to have seen nominated in this category; most notably Another Earth, The Future and Meek’s Cutoff – all amazingly original films that I loved last year, all of which didn’t get nominations for anything. I also think the astounding screenplay for A Separation deserved a nod.
Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer for Beginners
Jean-Pierre Darroussin for Havre, Le
John Hawkes for Martha Marcy May Marlene
Shahab Hosseini for Separation, A
John C. Reilly for Terri
No contest here for me. Shahab Hosseini was riveting as a short-tempered man caught in a untenable situation. The entire cast of A Separation was amazing, and I was glad to be able to vote for one of them in this category.
Should have been nominated: I particularly enjoyed performances by Bruce Greenwood in the ensemble of Meek’s Cutoff – that man can play anyone – and Scott Speedman in Barney’s Version – he really captured the self-destructive, suicidal artist/writer perfectly.
Supporting Actress
Lesley Manville for Another Year
Shailene Woodley for Descendants, The
Frances Fisher for Janie Jones
Kristin Scott Thomas for Love Crime
Kim Wayans for Pariah
Melissa Leo for Red State
Most of my choices didn’t make the ballot in this category, and while Lesley Manville and Kim Wayans were incredibly strong in their respective roles, it was Frances Fisher, in a single scene of Janie Jones that stuck with me the longest.
Should have been nominated: My choices in this category were radically different, but my top choice for this category would have been Amy Ryan in Win Win. She is such a natural and gifted actress, and in this film she perfectly captured the New Jersey housewife without coming off as a stereotype. Other standouts in this category include Sarah Polley in a brief but memorable role in Trigger, Charlotte Gainsbourg in Melancholia, and Sarah Paulson in Marcy Martha May Marlene. Additionally, I saw Take Shelter after nominations were submitted, but had I seen it earlier I would have been hard-pressed to leave Jessica Chastain’s sublime performance out of this list.
Best Actor
Jean Dujardin for Artist, The
Javier Bardem for Biutiful
Chris New for Weekend
Stellan Skarsgard for Somewhat Gentle Man, A
Michael Shannon for Take Shelter
Tom Cullen for Weekend
I was sure I was going to go for one of Weekend’s superb leads, and I was leaning toward Chris New, but after seeing Take Shelter late in the game I was blown away by Michael Shannon in the underrated Take Shelter.
Should have been nominated: Alessandro Nivola is an underrated actor, and his rock ‘n roller who discovers he’s got a teenaged daughter was beautifully handled in Janie Jones. Stephen Spinella also put in a terrific comic turn in Rubber.
Best Actress
Berenice Bejo for Artist, The
Elizabeth Olsen for Martha Marcy May Marlene
Kirsten Dunst for Melancholia
Adepero Oduye for Pariah
Jeong-hie Yun for Poetry
Tracy Wright for Trigger
This was a very difficult decision, with powerful performances all around. Adepero Oduye nailed in in Pariah, and Jeong-hie Yun conveyed so much in Poetry, but Tracy Wright not only got the sentimental vote from me, but it was a career high for the incredibly talented actress.
Should have been nominated: You know I love my actresses, and there were a handful of extremely worthy contenders that didn’t make it. Britt Marling was astounding in the overlooked Another Earth, as was Michelle Williams in the similarly skipped over Meek’s Cutoff. Trieste Kelly Dunn really shone in the tiny indie Cold Weather, but my top choice for this category was Vera Farmiga – so perfectly understated and three-dimensional as a woman questioning her faith in Higher Ground.
Best Director
3 Assassins
Another Year
Artist, The
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Melancholia
Separation, A
No contest here either. A Separation was my top film of 2011, as director Asghar Farhadi was a master at bringing this uncomfortable story to the screen. There isn’t a misstep in this film.
Should have been nominated: I have a short list of directors that should have made this list including Bruce McDonald for Trigger, Miranda July for The Future, and Aki Kurismkai for Le Havre, Vera Farmiga for Higher Gound, but my top choice for director that was overlooked was Kelly Reichardt who really showed her mastery of the art in Meek’s Cutoff.
Best Documentary
Bill Cunningham New York
Buck
Into the Abyss
Pina
Senna
Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls
I waffled between Buck and Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls but ultimately I couldn’t resist Buck‘s powerful, charismatic pull
Should have been nominated: No problems with this list.
Best Movie
Another Year
Artist, The
Pariah
Poetry
Weekend
Littlerock
These Amazing Shadows
Trigger
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives