I'm not surprised that Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog" won The Southeastern Film Critics Association's poll for the best movie of 2021. I am a little surprised that it is such a big winner -- the final polling results haven't been released yet but SEFCA president Matt Goldberg, who writes for Collider.com, says the film had a "commanding lead" in the balloting.
Here's the SEFCA Top 10:
1. "The Power of the Dog" 2. "Licorice Pizza" 3. "Belfast" 4. "The Green Knight" 5. "West Side Story" 6. "The French Dispatch" 7. "tick, tick...BOOM!" 8. "Drive My Car" 9. "Dune" 10. "Summer of Soul"
I am fairly in agreement with the aggregate results (this isn't always or even usually the case), though only three of SEFCA's Top 10 films ("The Power of the Dog," "Drive My Car" and "The French Dispatch") made my ballot.
And the list is probably colored by the fact that a lot of SEFCA members didn't have access to at least some of the big end-of-the-year releases -- I didn't get a chance to see Joel Coen's "The Tragedy of Macbeth" because the promised screener never arrived from Apple TV. And I'm sure very few SEFCA members had a chance to see Talia Lugacy's "This Is Not a War Story" (which picked up some Spirit Award nominations this week) because that movie, which was made for less than $500,000, doesn't have the marketing wherewithal to provide critics with screeners.
It's also notable that the group didn't choose a Gene Wyatt Award for the film that best represents the spirit of the South -- whatever you think that is -- the first year that we've declined to do so. I'm in agreement with this, though I admit that I scribbled in the Oklahoma-set "Old Henry" on my ballot. There wasn't an obvious candidate in this category, and I much prefer not bestowing an award than to giving it to something with a tangential connection to the South (the worst case of this was when "Green Book" won the award in 2018). I was afraid "Zola" -- a fine piece of cinema but hardly a Southern thing -- might win because it's partly set in the South.
Here are the other category winners, with comments:
Best Actor
Winner: Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Power of the Dog"
Runner-Up: Will Smith, "King Richard"
Cumberbatch led my ballot, which listed Hidetoshi Nishijima ("Drive My Car") second and Jude Hill ("Belfast") third.
Best Actress
Winner: Kristen Stewart, "Spencer"
Runner-Up: Alana Haim, "Licorice Pizza"
I chose Olivia Colman for her work in "The Lost Daughter" (and am surprised she didn't place in the SEFCA poll), followed by Haim and Renate Reinsve ("The Worst Person in the World").
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Kodi Smit-McPhee, "The Power of the Dog"
Runner-Up: Jeffrey Wright, "The French Dispatch"
I went with Wright -- whose James Baldwin impression is impeccable -- followed by Reed Birney ("Mass") and Richard Jenkins ("The Humans").
Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Kirsten Dunst, "The Power of the Dog"
Runner-Up: Aunjanue Ellis, "King Richard"
SEFCA voters really loved "The Power of the Dog." I went with Jessie Buckley ("The Lost Daughter") followed by Tilda Swinton ("The French Dispatch") and Caitriona Balfe ("Belfast").
Best Ensemble
Winner: "The French Dispatch"
Runner-Up: "Mass"
My ballot listed, in order, "The French Dispatch," "Belfast" and "The Power of the Dog."
Best Director
Winner: Jane Campion, "The Power of the Dog"
Runner-Up: Steven Spielberg, "West Side Story"
I have never understood why the director of the year's best film isn't automatically the year's best director. I voted for Campion, Wes Anderson ("The French Dispatch") and Peter Jackson ("The Beatles: Get Back"). Not seeing "West Side Story" was my fault; I could have squeezed it in.
Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson, "Licorice Pizza"
Runner-Up: Wes Anderson, et al. "The French Dispatch"
A tough category but I settled on Kenneth Branagh ("Belfast"); Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola ("The French Dispatch") and Paul Schrader ("The Card Counter").
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Jane Campion, "The Power of the Dog"
Runner-Up: Tony Kushner, "West Side Story"
I went with Campion, then Maggie Gyllenhaal ("The Lost Daughter") and finally Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe ("Drive My Car").
Best Documentary
Winner: "Summer of Soul"
Runner-Up: "Flee"
There were at least 30 documentaries that could have made my Top 10 list this year. In order, I voted for "The Beatles: Get Back," "The First Wave" and "The Velvet Underground."
Best Foreign-Language Film
Winner: "Drive My Car"
Runner-Up: "The Worst Person in the World"
SEFCA used to be pretty bad on foreign language films, but in recent years more members are seeing more examples of world cinema. These are good selections. I voted for "Drive My Car," "Lamb" and "Petite Maman."
Best Animated Film
Winner: "The Mitchells vs. The Machines"
Runner-Up: "Flee"
In the five years I tallied SEFCA votes, I used to be annoyed by a couple of members who refused to vote in this category, presumably because they thought cartoons beneath their interest. I voted for "The Mitchells vs. the Machines," "Encanto" and "Cryptozoo."
Best Cinematography
Winner: Greig Fraser, "Dune"
Runner-Up: Ari Wegner, "The Power of the Dog"
I voted for Wegner, Haris Zambarloukos ("Belfast") and Daria D'Antonio ("The Hand of God").
Best Score
Winner: Hans Zimmer, "Dune"
Runner-Up: Jonny Greenwood, "The Power of the Dog"
I thought Greenwood's score was amazing. Placing and showing on my ballot were, respectively, Mark Mothersbaugh ("The Mitchells vs. the Machines") and Dickon Hinchliffe, "The Lost Daughter."
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