The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards split the difference on its Best Picture award, naming “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “Tar” in a tie.
Although surprising, the tie was not shocking. The LAFCA has done it four other times: 1975, its inaugural year, with “Dog Day Afternoon” and “One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest”; 1976, with “Network” and “Rocky”; and 2013, with “Her” and “Gravity.”
The organization has arguably a better record of syncing up with Oscar’s ultimate Best Picture winner than some New York awards orgs, i.e. some recent examples of their Best Picture Winners lining up with AMPAS include 2019’s Parasite, 2016’s Moonlight, 2015’s Spotlight, 2009’s The Hurt Locker.
‘Brazil’, courtesy of Universal
However, one thing regarding LAFCA — they’re not afraid to go rogue: I.E. 1985 when they anointed Terry Gilliam’s carnivalesque, trippy epic Brazil Best Picture and Best Director; the filmmaker having made his war with Universal over the film, fresh meat for the trades. Brazil was Oscar nominated for Art Direction and Original Screenplay.
Other examples of when LAFCA went once morest the grain in Best Picture was with 2003’s American Splendorthe comedy biopic regarding cartoonist Harvey Pekar and Steve McQueen’s collection of five films, Small Axe, which wasn’t even up for Oscars in 2020; that pic relegating Nomadland to Runner-Up in the category — which was the ultimate Best Picture at the Oscars.
Last year, LAFCA gave Best Pictures to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, which was in the Oscar mix with four Oscar noms, including Best Picture and Director, winning Best International Feature Film.
It will not be surprising if filmmaker Todd Field’s return to the big screen following 16 years, Tar, comes up big today. LAFCA named his movie In the Bedroom back in 2001 Best Picture. Tar won Best Film at New York Film Critics Circle as well as Best Actress for Cate Blanchett as well as one of AFI’s top pics of the year.
For this year’s awards vote, LAFCA will also introduce gender-neutral acting categories, with two awards for Best Lead Performance and two awards for Best Supporting Performance
Best Picture:
Winners: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE and TAR (tie)
Best Director:
Winner: Todd Field, TAR
Runner-up: S.S. Rajamouli
Best Lead Performance:
Winners: Cate Blanchett, TAR and Bill Nighy, LIVING
Runners-up: Danielle Deadwyler, TILL and Michelle Yeoh, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Best Supporting Performer:
Winners: Dolly de Leon, TRIANGLE OF SADNESS and Ke Huy Quan, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Runner-ups: Jessie Buckley, WOMEN TALKING and Brian Tyree Henry, CAUSEWAY
Best Documentary:
Winner: ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED
Runner-up: FIRE OF LOVE
Best Screenplay:
Winner: Todd Field for TAR
Runner-up: Martin McDonagh for THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Best Animation:
Winner: GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO
Runner-up: MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
Best Editing:
Winner: Winner: Blair McClendon for AFTERSUN
Runner-up: Monika Willi for TAR
Best Production Design:
Winner: Dylan Cole, Ben Procter for AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Runner-up: Jason Kisvarday for EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Best Music/Score:
Winner: MM Keeravani, RRR
Runner-up: Pawel Mykietyn, EO
Best Cinematography:
Winner: Michael Dymek, E.O
Runner-up: Runner-up: Hoyte van Hoytema, NOPE
Douglas Edwards Experimental Film prize:
WINNER: ON THE MANUFACTURE OF THE HUMAN BODY
Best Film Not In The English Language:
Winner: EO
Runner-up: SAINT-OMER
New Generation:
Winner: Davy Chou and Park Ji-Min, RETURN TO SEOUL
