It seems once the voters in the National Society of Film Critics were able to dry their eyes after watching Michael Haneke‘s gut-wrenching tearjerker Amour, they could see a clear winner. The French drama about an elderly couple (played masterfully by Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant) coping with end-of-life struggles, was named Best Picture. Additionally, both Haneke and Riva earned accolades for Best Director and Best Actress, respectively. The foreign-language film has continued to both win over and depress critics and moviegoers alike since winning the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
In other categories, Oscar frontrunner Daniel Day-Lewis was named Best Actor by the National Society of Film Critics for his performance in Lincoln (the film’s scribe Tony Kushner won for Best Screenplay), Matthew McConaughey was named Best Supporting Actor for his work in both Magic Mike and Bernie, and Amy Adams earned Best Supporting Actress for her powerhouse turn in The Master. (That film was also heralded with Best Cinematography.)
The National Society of Film Critics, which is composed of 60 of the nation’s top critics, held their 47th annual awards meeting on Saturday, January 5 at Elinor Bunim Munroe Center at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. Here is the complete list of winners, complete with the voting number results:
Best Picture
1. Amour – 28
2. The Master – 25
3. Zero Dark Thirty – 18
Best Actor
1. Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln – 59
2. Denis Lavant – Holy Motors – 49
3. Joaquin Phoenix – The Master – 49
Best Actress
1. Emmanuelle Riva – Amour – 50
2. Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook –42
3. Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty – 32
Best Supporting Actor
1. Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike, Bernie – 27
2. Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln – 22
3. Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master– 19
Best Supporting Actress
1. Amy Adams – The Master – 34
2. Sally Field – Lincoln – 23
3. Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables – 13
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Best Director
1. Michael Haneke – Amour – 27
2. Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty – 24
2. Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master – 24
Best Screenplay
1. Lincoln – Tony Kushner – 59
2. The Master – Paul Thomas Anderson – 27
3. Silver Linings Playbook – David O. Russell – 19
Best Cinematography
1. The Master – 60
2. Skyfall – 30
3. Zero Dark Thirty – 21
Best Nonfiction
1. The Gatekeepers – 53
2. This Is Not a Film – 45
3. Searching for Sugar Man – 23
Experimental: This Is Not a Film
[Photo credit: Sony Pictures]
More:
‘Amour’ Is a Touching Punch to the Gut for Viewers Young and Old
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