Gotham Awards 2023: What to make of "Reality" in Best Feature?

by Nick Taylor

By far the most surprising nomination from this year’s Gotham nominees was the lone nomination for Reality in the Best Feature category. Not the most obscure film cited, not in any way a quality assessment, not even an anomaly for the Gothams. Hell, The Rider won Best Feature in 2018 with no other nominations to its name (if we don’t count their 20-film Audience Award lineup). But who saw Reality coming, after a positive but wholly unremarkable critical response when it premiered in the US all the way back in May? Who had this on their bingo card, and could they share their guess on this week’s lottery numbers with me?

I’ll be spending November giving full reviews to some Gotham nominees that have yet to receive full coverage on The Film Experience. This was not the first title I watched, but the sheer mystification of its appearance gave it a tantalizing aura. And now that I’ve seen it for myself, my mystification at its Best Feature nomination only grows...

Click to read more ...