Gotham Awards Nominations: "Killers" Unsubmitted but Gladstone still IN
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 2:30PM
Cláudio Alves in A Thousand and One, All of Us Strangers, Beef, Gotham Awards, Lily Gladstone, Passages, Past Lives, Reality, Showing Up, TV, The Last of Us, The Zone of Interest

by Cláudio Alves

Though the Gotham Awards rarely correlate with the Academy, their nominations announcement often feels like the beginning of the awards season proper. That is especially true in a year like this, when the erstwhile champions of independent cinema have foregone budget caps, meaning studio productions are allowed into consideration. Still, some big Oscar contenders chose not to submit themselves for the Gothams, giving space for smaller pictures to thrive. Such was the case for Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon. Nevertheless, even with these limitations, the selection committee managed to honor Lily Gladstone…

BEST FEATURE

It's wild how few nominations some of these amassed, all of them beaten by the four-time nominated All of Us Strangers. Reality is the biggest shock of all, however, only getting into this race. One would assume Past Lives is the clear favorite to win, but stranger things have happened at the Gothams than, for instance, a victory for Passages or A Thousand and One. By the way, all these films are available to stream or rent, so check them out.

 

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE

Even though Gladstone was ineligible for the unsubmitted Killers of the Flower Moon, she makes it with The Unknown Country, for which she has also earned stellar reviews. Ellis-Taylor makes her claim on the race after Venice and Toronto, Lee basks in Past Lives love, Rogowski's narcissist devil proves irresistible, and Babetida Sadjo is my favorite surprise. Scott gets in for the nomination leader, so no shock there, and Spaeny continues her golden path started with the Volpi Cup. Taylor and Williams feel like the kind of smaller performances in smaller films bound to be forgotten later in the season, so it's terrific to see them here. Finally, Wright is receiving the plaudits he has deserved for decades now.

Regarding snubs, the biggest head-scratchers are Emma Stone and Sandra Hüller, whose films received love from the Gothams elsewhere.

 

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Binoche is a mighty surprise, as is Cruz, though both received sterling notices during their festival runs. Foxx capitalizes on a great comeback year while Foy is again doing the trophy-hunting routine – hopefully, for her, it ends differently than the bids for First Man and Women Talking. Gosling and Randolph are the likeliest to repeat with the Academy, though he is one of multiple cases of potential category fraud. After all, it's hard to argue that Howerton and Hüller are anything other than protagonists in their respective pictures. Seeing McAdams here is a delight, and Charles Melton's trajectory from Riverdale hunk to critically acclaimed thespian remains awe-inspiring.

Once again, it's surprising that none of the Poor Things fellows made it in. Other, quietly devastating performances in Gotham-nominated films include John Magaro in Past Lives and Ben Whishaw in Passages. Also, justice for Hong Chau in Showing Up!

 

BEST SCREENPLAY

Mungiu's nomination is the standout of this bunch, with all the others feeling like expected choices. That being said, Glazer's presence on this ballot feels like a way to honor him despite his ineligibility in the Best Breakthrough Director category. 

 

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE 

Between All of Us Strangers, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest, this is a very British-produced shortlist. Personally, I love seeing Mexico's Oscar submission Tótem getting some well-deserved love, even though it's the lowest-profile title in the quintet.

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

20 Days in Mariupol and Four Daughters are vying for Best International Film nominations at the Oscars, representing Ukraine and Tunisia, respectively. Still, I'm rooting for Our Body, which is, by far, my favorite 2023 doc.

 

BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this marks the first time in Gotham Awards history when all their nominees in this category are women. Clearly, the Best Feature representatives have frontrunner status, but I wouldn't be too shocked if Jackson took the cake for her acclaimed All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.

 

BREAKTHROUGH TELEVISION OVER 40 MINUTES

As someone who hasn't kept up with TV, I assume this is Beef's to lose.

 

BREAKTHROUGH TELEVISION UNDER 40 MINUTES

The Last of Us feels like an incongruity within an award's history once defined by a celebration of independent production. Nevertheless, I can't say I'm not overjoyed at seeing Interview with the Vampire here, and you could say the same about that AMC Anne Rice adaptation.

 

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SERIES

At long last, nonbinary thespian Bella Ramsey can be nominated without classifying themselves into gendered categories. It's remarkable how many of these names can also be found on the Emmy's ballot.

 

What do you think of the Gotham Awards nominations? Who are you rooting for?

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
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