The Films of 2023. The 24th annual FiLM BiTCH Awards
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AND THE NOMINEES ARE...
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Best Actress
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| Sandra Hüller "Sandra Voyter" ANATOMY OF A FALL |
Carey Mulligan "Felicia" MAESTRO |
Natalie Portman "Elizabeth" MAY DECEMBER |
Margot Robbie
"Barbie" BARBIE |
Emma Stone
"Bella" POOR THINGS |
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From her introduction-- a show off whose show is thrown off -- through the final razor edge of fear that the trial might not go her way, she exquisitely anchors this courtroom drama / mystery. With each scene she reveals more intricate depths. |
From her lovely spontaneous laugh and mid-century cadences, to her receding self and pained reflecting monologue, to the way she merely looks at her husband in so many different ways; she's a magical actress. | "It's getting real". Leaning into her own artitifce she thrills. The line readings as this amoral actress of questionable talent who takes herself far too seriously are such a flex. Bonus points for that self-serving agent-of-chaos sexuality. |
In her greatest performance (by a mile), she plays both Idea and Object superbly. Hilarious and earnest in perfect measure, she miraculously threads the awakening of Actual Personhood through both. This is Movie Star Acting at its very finest.
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Supremely confident and daring work as she braids physical comedy, intellectual curiousity, and sexual impulse together and plays with their collisons, compatibility, and evolutions. Her best screen performance yet and she was hardly lacking for great ones. |
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Finalist: Teyana Taylor impassioned and unpredictable as difficult secretive "Inez" in A Thousand and One; Virginie Efira in just about anything (see 'Body of Work' at the bottom of this page) but this year to be specific Revoir Paris, Other People's Children, and Madeleine Collins; and Greta Lee's sly turn as "Nora" both holding on to her past and resisting it as an ambitious immigrant in Past Lives Semi-Finalists: Juliette Binoche lyrically expressive as "Eugénie" in The Taste of Things; Julianne Moore actorly but impressive as delusional "Gracie" in May December; Sofie Gråbøl is moving and funny as "Inger" in Rose; and Molly Gordon gives deliciously serious comedy as theatrically-minded "Rebecca Diane" in Theater Camp |
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Best Actor
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| Bradley Cooper "Leonard Bernstein" MAESTRO |
Colman Domingo "Rustin Bayard" RUSTIN |
Paul Giamatti "Paul Hunham" THE HOLDOVERS |
Cillian Murphy "Robert Oppenheimer" OPPENHEIMER |
Teo Yoo |
| He's not "REIGNING IT IN!" (a smart choice) in conjuring this mythic 20th century titan. He rivetingly captures the man's abundant fluid passions, blind selfishness, command on stage, and recurring depression | This role required movie star presence to sell a legendary organizer's charisma and key place in civil rights history. Domingo brings that and more. If only the film was as playful and exciting as his star turn! | This Sideways reunion for director/star gives us another endearingly irritable slightly pathetic vivid characterization. Cynical shell, gooey center. Bless Giamatti for that "killer" comic reaction shot in the kiosk | It's all in those giant haunted eyes, silently imagining the atomic future afraid of what he's capable of. Bonus points for the way he connects sexuality, ego, and intellect to this, a man dancing with nihilism | For that delicately rendered inchoate searching quality. You worry for this lost soul He makes every line about him resonate with truthfulness, too. Utterly convincing at each age and on each continent |
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Finalists: Andrew Scott closed off yet an ideal screen partneras "Adam" in All of Us Strangers; Jeffrey Wrighttetchy and memorable and too smart not to get in hiw own way as "Thelonius Monk" in American Fiction; Gael Garcia Bernal in exciting discovery mode as the rising "Cassandro" in Cassandro; and Charles Melton's balancing act as "Joe Yoo" in May December, a manchild caught between two amoral women Semi Finalists: Zac Efron as "Kevin Von Erich" in The Iron Claw; Franz Rogowski as "Tomas Frieburg" in Passages; and Elliott Crosset Hove as "Lucas" in Godland |
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Best Supporting Actress
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Penelope Cruz |
Claire Foy |
Scarlett Johansson "Midge Campbell" ASTEROID CITY |
Rachel McAdams |
Da'Vine Joy Randolph "Mary" THE HOLDOVERS |
| From her merciless introduction to her cold desolate "wins" inn the marital battle. Bonus points for that inner volcano of grief she never tries to conceal (the comfort of others be damned) | For her riveting intricate duet with Andrew Scott. Incisive brilliant and searching as she tries to overcome her own homophobia. Bonus points for the hints of terror -- psychic residue from her death? | Incredibly adept at stylization, is there anything this under-acclaimed movie star can't do. She's so nimble in serving comedy, auteur vision, and star power as this depressed curious actress. Brava! | Family friendly material and good hearted characters rarely win "Great Acting" accolades but sometimes they should! McAdams elevates an already fine picture as this warm, real, and pained mother. | For well-judged wonderful work as a grieving tired mother. Bonus points for the way she keys you into Mary's life; she refuses to be a mere "foil" for more flamboyant characters and the central drama. |
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Finalist: Rosamund Pike hilarious and tragically oblivious as "Elsbeth" in Saltburn; Jodie Foster back where she belongs in front of cameras as "Bonnie Stoll" in Nyad; Danielle Brooks fiery and funny as "Sofia" in The Color Purple Semi-Finalists: Kerrie Hayes tender and resigned as "Viv" in Blue Jean; Perla De La Rosa authentic and heartbreaking as "Yocasta" in Cassandro; Sigourney Weaver icy and maddening as "Norma Haverhill" in Master Gardener; and Stella Gonet doing insanely great voice work as "Margaret" in El Conde |
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Best Supporting Actor
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Swann Arlaud |
William Catlett |
Noah Galvin "Glenn Withrop" THEATER CAMP |
Ryan Gosling |
Mark Ruffalo "Duncan Wedderburn" POOR THINGS |
| Deceptively modest but subtly superb and intriguing as the loyal friend / silver fox lawyer who doesn't appear to care whether his client / friendly is guilty as he walks her through the ordeal. | Exuding a tricky combination of surface hardness and inner decency as her hard-to-know boyfriend, he brilliantly matches Teyana's lauded leading role, slowly revealing a deep well of feeling. | Supremely hilarious and fully imagined from Glenn's introversion to his hidden talent. Unexpectedly, he proves the sanest person in this laugh-a-minute comedy. Galvin never pushes the jokes but lives in their funny reality. | For his playful abandon, nimble delivery, and genius physical comedy as a dim doll on his own stunted journey; hilariously, he never reaches Barbie's destination of self-awareness. | With a mix of effete pretense, classist self-regard, and sexual bravado, he's an unexpected twin to Gosling's Ken...albeit with genitalia. What a year for movie stars sharing the joy of silliness with audiences! |
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Finalist: John Magaro incisively sure about "Arthur"s unsureness in Past Lives; Milo Machado Graner is a natural in the demanding role of "Daniel" the blind son in Anatomy of a Fall; Willem Dafoe is cruel but loving, domineering yet permissive as the science-minded "Godwin" in Poor Things; Jamie Bell is beautifully expressive as a reserved "Dad" who never really knew his son in All of Us Strangers Semi-Finalists: Janna Hyytiäinen is a sideline delight as the friendly deluded karaoke loving coworker in Fallen Leaves; Holt McCallany is strong as the single-minded "Fritz Von Erich" in The Iron Claw; Ben Affleck is wonderfully relaxed as an actor while playing a tense coasting CEO in Air |
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Special "Body of Work" Gold Medal
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| Virginie Efira "Judith Fauvet" MADELEINE COLLINS |
Virginie Efira "Rachel Friedmann" OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN |
Virginie Efira "Mia" REVOIR PARIS |
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| Mysterious without being opaque as a woman inexplicably living a double life. | Wonderfully precise as a childless woman suddenly parenting due to a new love. | Her sixth César nod finally led to a win for this compelling drama about the survivor of a terrorist attack. | ||
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Such are the vagaries of distribution that we received three Virginie Efira movies in one year here in the US (which had opened between 2021 and 2023 in France). Meanwhile two additional Efira movies were released in France in 2023 (Just the Two of Us - César nominated - and Don Juan) that haven't yet crossed the pond. She's so consistentally excellent in everything that we felt special acknowledgement was due. All in all she's been working non-stop for several years in France but hopefully this year marks the turning point of international recognition, a sweet coincidence given that her longtime collaborator, Justine Triet, broke through in a big way with Anatomy of a Fall, a rare Triet movie that doesn't star Efira. |
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PICTURE | ACTING - you are here | VISUALS | AURALS | EXTRAS | SPECIAL | SCENES