2018 FILM CRITICS AWARDS: Boston Society of Film Critics/Boston Online Film Critics!

I love this annual marathon meeting– our 38th– of the BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS to decide our year end faves! We voted the “Best” in 15 categories topped by our BEST FILM of the year: the stunning IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK written and directed by Barry Jenkins, about a young African American couple in 1970’s Harlem carrying the burden of social injustice when he is falsely imprisoned, and the promise of their baby which she is carrying into a racially-riven world.

The film based on James Baldwin’s book and adapted by writer/director Jenkins who gave us last year’s masterpiece and Oscar-winning Best Picture MOONLIGHT, also earned awards for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Regina King, and BEST ORIGINAL SCORE. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM was the Palme d’Or-winning hit of the Cannes Film Festival the Japanese Indie SHOPLIFTERS about a group of petty grifters who find family in each other. These performers were also our BEST ENSEMBLE.  BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR was JOHN C. REILLY for his verisimilitudinous turn as comedy legend Oliver Hardy in STAN & OLLIE, while BEST ACTRESS went to MELISSA McCARTHY as a tough and tender forger in CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? which also earned BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR honors for RICHARD E. GRANT, and BEST SCREENPLAY. BEST DIRECTOR went to LYNNE RAMSAY for her helming of the mind-bending psychological thriller which tracks Joaquin Phoenix’s traumatized vet on the hunt for a missing girl in “YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE.”

This brings us to the BOSTON ONLINE FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION (to which I also belong) which voted its awards this weekend as well and honored YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE for BEST PICTURE, and also BEST DIRECTOR, SCORE, and EDITING. The BOFCA and the BSFC’s choices coincided for best supporting performances, BEST DOCUMENTARY for WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?, and BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY for Alfonso Cuaron’s autobiographical beauty ROMA, then parted company.  ETHAN HAWKE won for BEST ACTOR as a conflicted Calvinist pastor in FIRST REFORMED which also earned BEST SCREENPLAY honors for PAUL SCHRADER.  BEST ACTRESS went to TONI COLLETTE for her layered and chill-inducing performance in the horror flick HEREDITARY.

BELOW is a complete, detailed list of all the awards voted by BOTH groups of film critics:

2018 BSFC AWARDS  Dedicated to the memory of former BSFC member Stephen Brophy who passed away earlier this year.

Best Picture  –   If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Actor – John C. Reilly for Stan & Ollie

Best Actress –  Melissa McCarthy for Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Best Supporting Actor –  Richard E. Grant for Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Best Supporting Actress –  Regina King for If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Director – Lynne Ramsay for You Were Never Really Here

Best Screenplay – Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty for Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Best Cinematography – Alfonso Cuarón for Roma

Best Documentary – Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Best Foreign-Language Film  (awarded in memory of Jay Carr) –  Shoplifters

Best Animated Film – Isle of Dogs

Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer) – Tom Cross for First Man

Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy) –  Bo Burnham for Eighth Grade

Best Ensemble Cast –  Shoplifters

Best Original Score – Nicholas Britell for If Beale Street Could Talk

2018 Series, Rediscoveries and Commendations 

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2018 BOFCA WINNERS