Spirit Awards 2022: My Personal Ballot

by Cláudio Alves

The Film Independent Spirit Awards are upon us! After a few years of hewing concerningly close to the Oscars, this year's slot of nominees feels more connected to the organization's purpose of celebrating independent cinema, even the obscure stuff. Indeed, exploring the many nominated pictures was one of the highlights of this awards season. I discovered some beautiful gems and have new artists to look for in the incoming years. Isn't that the most beautiful part of movie awards – the uncovering of heretofore unknown talents and voices? It seems right, seeing as the Spirit Awards are voted on by cinephiles, all those who become Film Independent members out of their love for the seventh art.

With that in mind, I thought it could be fun to share my (not so anonymous) ballot for the Spirit Awards, perchance some predictions too…

I shall only talk about the cinema categories since we are in the depths of film awards season. If you're interested in my TV votes, they were primarily focused on Squid Game and The Underground Railroad. Without further ado, the first category is:

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Lol Crawley, The Humans
• Tim Curtin, A Chiara
• Edu Grau, Passing
• Ante Cheng & Matthew Chuang, Blue Bayou
• Ari Wegner, Zola

While AMPAs nominated her for The Power of the Dog, Ari Wegner's best achievement of 2021 was Zola, as far as I'm concerned. Shooting in 16mm, the Australian director of photography found a beguiling juxtaposition of Insta-ready poppiness and the grainy textures of film. The use of color is fantastic, and so are the flairs of theatricality, be it a hall of mirrors fashion show or the rainbow brightness of a first meeting. To be fair, all of these contenders would make good victors. But, in terms of predictions, I think Grau will win by virtue of black-and-white cinema's inherent eye-catching appeal in a contemporary paradigm where such works are a rarity.

BEST EDITING

• Affonso Gonçalves, A Chiara
• Ali Greer, The Nowhere Inn
• Joi McMillon, Zola
• Enrico Natale, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
• Lauren Hadaway & Nathan Nugent, The Novice

Honing on the fast pace consumption of social media, McMillon turned the storytelling structure of a Twitter thread into energized cinematic rhythms. While her works with Nat Sanders and Barry Jenkins exude the quality of sensual memory, all fluid remembrance, and languid repetition, this Janicza Bravo movie feels more like a drug-fueled hallucination. It's a sublime achievement that stands out in this competition and gets my vote. Kudos to The Novice team, too, especially how the bulldozing editing works in tandem with the performers to create something akin to characterization through cutting. Because of its violent charge, I expect The Novice to take this one.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

• Compartment No. 6, Finland/Russia
• Drive My Car, Japan
• Parallel Mothers, Spain
• Pebbles, India
• Petite Maman, France
• Prayers for the Stolen, Mexico

This category is a dream, with half of the nominated titles making my personal top 10 for 2021. Still, Drive My Car gets my vote, and I expect the rest of the Film Independent membership will agree. Having recently re-watched it, I think I'm falling deeper and deeper in love with Hamaguchi's three-hour Best Picture nominee. From this Indie sextet, Parallel Mothers feels likeliest to upset the Japanese frontrunner, though I firmly believe Drive My Car has it in the bag.

BEST DOCUMENTARY

• Ascension
• Flee
• In The Same Breath
• Procession
• Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)

Another incredible lineup without a lousy picture in sight. While my vote goes to Flee, any of these would make a good winner, especially Procession. I expect Summer of Soul to win on account of its relative conventionality and broad appeal. If the other pictures leave one feeling ensconced in universal dread, traumatic pains, and more, the concert flick often feels like an open celebration of pure joy.

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

• Colman Domingo, Zola
• Meeko Gattuso, Queen of Glory
• Troy Kotsur, CODA
• Will Patton, Sweet Thing
• Chase Spencer, Wild Indian 

From his vigorous screen presence to the gradations of the put-upon accent, Domingo delivers a masterclass in how to portray menace. Furthermore, his mania illuminates a bully's varying degrees of control over himself and a crazy world. It's a perfect supporting performance, well worthy of gold. That being said, I believe Troy Kotsur will get the prize, which is no tragedy. Only Will Patton would incur my displeasure in the event of a win. Then again, beyond the cinematography and good intentions, I couldn't stand Sweet Thing.

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

• Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
• Amy Forsyth, The Novice
• Ruth Negga, Passing
• Revika Reustle, Pleasure
• Suzanna Son, Red Rocket 

I've written plenty about the wonders of Ruth Negga's performance. For me, it's the best of the year, regardless of category, and I can only hope that the rest of the Film Independent membership agrees. Because I'm feeling foolishly optimistic, I think Negga will make it, even though Buckley has the Academy's seal of approval on her side.

BEST MALE LEAD

• Clifton Collins Jr., Jockey
• Frankie Faison, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
• Michael Greyeyes, Wild Indian
• Udo Kier, Swan Song
• Simon Rex, Red Rocket

Rex is another one about whom I've already written, in the form of an unsuccessful Oscar FYC. While I'm rooting for him, and think he'll win, any of these thespians would make a good winner. Collins Jr. is powerfully internal, even while exploring the physicality of the titular role – the last shot is maybe the best acting of his career. Kier is beyond fun, Greyeyes makes for a compelling psychopath, and Faison is the glue holding his film together.

BEST FEMALE LEAD 

• Isabelle Fuhrman, The Novice
• Brittany S. Hall, Test Pattern
• Patti Harrison, Together Together
• Taylour Paige, Zola
• Kali Reis, Catch the Fair One 

No other 2021 performance made me laugh as hard as Paige's take on Zola. Her reaction shots are a rhapsody of no-nonsense humor by themselves, but her growing exasperation at Keough's ditzy trainwreck delights too. What's more, despite the comedy, Paige still negotiates an acute awareness of danger with fed-up impatience. No other nominee reaches her level of technical virtuosity and tonal challenges. That's not to say they are unworthy nominees. But, from the lineup, Fuhrman's ferocious portrayal of self-destructive perfectionism seems better poised to win. It's not often that acting awards go to comedic triumphs when there's showy dramatic work contending against it. That's true of both Oscars and Spirits, unfortunately.

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY 

• Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr., Wild Indian
• Shatara Michelle Ford, Test Pattern
• Fran Kranz, Mass
• Matt Fifer & Sheldon D. Brown, Cicada
• Michael Sarnoski & Vanessa Block, Pig

After all those sterling lineups, I confess myself disappointed at this selection. I'm not especially passionate about any of these screenplays, though Mass and Pig stand tall above the rest. Since I was more fascinated by Pig's po-faced approach to tender sentimentality, I voted for it, though Kranz's writing impresses by how it challenges the actors. I believe the latter will win. If nothing else, the other contenders all feel too low profile to garner many votes.

BEST SCREENPLAY

• Nikole Beckwith, Together Together
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
• Janicza Bravo & Jeremy O. Harris, Zola
• Mike Mills, C'mon C'mon
• Todd Stephens, Swan Song

If the First Screenplay category was a matter of choosing the least objectionable script, this one is a heartbreaking choice between a slew of primarily marvelous pieces of writing. In the end, I went with the literary adaptation of the bunch, a cinematic text that grows in complexity with each re-watch. I also suspect Gyllenhaal will take it, making it the rare case where I'm voting for my prediction.

BEST DIRECTOR

• Janicza Bravo, Zola
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
• Lauren Hadaway, The Novice
• Mike Mills, C'mon C'mon
• Ninja Thyberg, Pleasure

Again, I think Gyllenhaal will take it. This time around, though, I'm not voting for The Lost Daughter director. I'd go as far as saying she's the weakest link of a fairly extraordinary collection of nominees. As for my vote, Pleasure is a remarkable repudiation of moralistic takes on sex work while also illuminating the misogynistic structures of abuse within the porn industry. A BDSM shoot with a woman director shows there's a right way to do these things and might be one of the best scenes in 2021 cinema. I've seldom seen a better articulation about how systemic pressures can twist one's conception of sexual consent. Also, a shoot that goes wrong is one hell of a horror movie scene – a testament to Thyberg's unblinking gaze, how it can both celebrate and question the world it depicts.

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

• Cryptozoo
• Jockey
• Shiva Baby
• Sweet Thing
• This Is Not a War Story

While strongly considering Jockey, I ended up voting for Shiva Baby and its distillation of social anxiety and cinematic claustrophobia. Apart from those two, I wasn't a fan of the other contenders, even though the illustrations style of Cryptozoo is eye-catching and worthy of some applause. Maybe being the only animated film will help it stand out in the final vote. Even so, I suspect Shiva Baby wins this one.

BEST FIRST FEATURE

• 7 Days
• Holler
• Queen of Glory
• Test Pattern
• Wild Indian

I had watched none of these pictures before the nominations came out, which means I must thank Film Independent for leading me their way. Even those who didn't manage to win my vote dazzled with some individual element. Test Pattern and Wild Indian have their virtuoso performances. Queen of Glory's costume design is a dream, while 7 Days has charm to spare. In the end, though, this was the easiest choice outside Supporting Actress. Holler was one of the biggest surprises of this voting process, a beautifully-shot bit of American social realism that's overflowing with empathy and a willingness to show the painful side of a complicated situation. This is the kind of movie I wish CODA had been (thank you, Nick Taylor, for that eye-opening comparison, by the way).

BEST FEATURE

• A Chiara
• C'mon C'mon
• The Lost Daughter
• The Novice
• Zola

After voting for Zola in four other categories, I end up going against it in the most important race of them all. Still, as much as I love that Twitter-to-big-screen production, C'mon C'mon reigns supreme amid this lot. Mills's latest is a film about listening, one of the best I've ever seen. Some of the biggest connections we can forge are made around listening, but we rarely see that reflected in cinema. There's a miraculous quality to honestly listening to someone or finding someone who listens to us. Not in a "following your advice "way, but in a "ponders and acknowledges what you're saying" manner. Someone who really listens is precious and rare, as is Mike Mills's cinema. Nevertheless, I think The Lost Daughter will win.

What do you think of my ballot? Who would vote for from the Spirit nominees?

Comments

[Amy Camus]

I'm also an Indie Spirit voter. Thank God for the screeners or I would have missed a lot of the best films of last year. ( I, too, ignore the tv categories) Here was how I voted:

Cinematography: Zola
Editing: The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
International: Parallel Mothers
Documentary: Flee
Supporting Male: Chase Spencer (Wild Indian)
Supporting Female: Suzanna Son (Red Rocket)
Male Lead: Simon Rex (Red Rocket)
Female Lead: Taylour Paige (Zola)
First Screenplay: Mass
Screenplay: Swan Song
Director: Janicza Bravo (Zola)
First Film: Wild Indian
Film: A Chiara

The last couple of years I've voted for about half the winners, but this year it looks like I'm back to my normal 3 or 4, and that may be on the optimistic side.

[Roge]

I’m also a voter and voted for Taylour, Simon, Ruth, and Colman!

[Aq. H]

I look forward each year to share where my votes went…

Cinematography: Zola
Editing: Zola
International: Compartment No. 6
Doc: Procession
Supp Male: Colman Domingo
Supp Female: Ruth Negga
Lead Male: Udo Kier
Lead Female: Isabelle Fuhrman
First Screenplay: Mass
Screenplay: C’mon C’mon
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
First Feature: Test Pattern
Feature: The Lost Daughter

New Scripted Series: It’s a Sin
New non Scripted Series: The Lady and the Dale
Female Performance in a New Scripted Series: Thuso Mbedu
Male Performance in a New Scripted Series: Murray Bartlett

[Finbar McBride]

I am a voter as well. Joining Film Independent is a worthwhile endeavor for the film lover. Each year members are provided links to screen almost all the nominees. I find myself discovering terrific films that are seemingly invisible to the general populace. Eschewing those movies that have been talked to death, I discover hidden gems.

One from this year’s nominees that I think is worth seeking out is Catch the Fair One. Here professional boxer and lead actress Kali Reis participated in writing the story of Kaylee, a former boxer who now works as a waitress while living in a shelter for recovering drug addicts. Kaylee is obsessed with finding her younger sister Weeta. Kaylee believes the adolescent was kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring. In her overwrought state Kaylee allows herself to be taken as well, believing she can find her sister though the disappearance occurred many months ago.

From the moment Kaylee embarks on her quest, the tension ratchets up to a nerve wracking pace, comparable to those action thrillers starring famous white men that sell buttloads of tickets at the multiplex. Catch the Fair One is distinguished by the extraordinary Reis. The camera loves this indigenous woman with multiple facial piercings. At any moment, we see a plethora of emotion that is endlessly fascinating. Kaylee is smart. Reis doesn’t hide the woman’s intelligence. Her eyes are always alert and probing. Her physicality - the bulging muscularity, the tattoos that provide additional texture to her dark skin, the plaited hair that reminds us of Kaylee’s femininity - is filmed with almost a reverence at the opportunity to study a unique lead character.

Kali Reis is deservedly nominated as Best Actress. I voted for her with the knowledge she won’t win. Yet, Catch the Fair One remains a vital, exciting thriller with an extraordinary lead performance.

[Gabe Smith]

Another voter here, and I share the sentiment that "Sweet Thing" tired me out (though I do think Will Patton was strong in a stock role).

I voted for:

Cinematography: The Humans
Editing: Zola
International: Drive My Car
Documentary: Flee
Supporting Male: Troy Kotsur
Supporting Female: Ruth Negga
Male Lead: Clifton Collins, Jr.
Female Lead: Isabelle Fuhrman
First Screenplay: Mass
Screenplay: Together Together
Director: Mike Mills
John Cassavetes Award: Shiva Baby
First Film: Test Pattern
Film: C'mon C'mon

[Mr Ripley79]

Best Film Zola
Best Male Lead Simon Rex
Best Female Lead Isabelle Fuhrman
Best Supporting Male Troy Kotsur
Best Supporting Female Ruth Negga
Best Director Lauren Hadaway
Best Screenplay Cmon Cmon

[Mike in Canada]

It's wild that there are only two shared acting nominees with the Oscars, and no crossover in pic or directing!
Way more like the Indie Spirits I grew up with!