United States major critics association, The National Society of Film Critics awarded top prize to Inside Llewyn Davis on Saturday. Joel and Ethan were awarded with the best director for Llewyn, Best Actor was bagged by Oscar Isaac and the Best Cinematography went to Bruno Delbonnel. The awards were dedicated to the late NSFC members Stanley Kauffman and Roger Ebert..
The voting results were almost neck to neck, with many winners being determined in the initial ballot. According to NSFC’s voting rules a winner must get the most points (based on a system of 3 points for first, 2 for second and 1 for third) and also appear on a majority of ballots. As proxies for those not present drop out after the first round of voting, the dynamic can shift dramatically in subsequent votes. This was a deciding factor in many categories, including Best Picture. In almost every case the winner was always different from the one leading in the initial ballot.
Best Picture: Inside Llewyn Davis (second ballot)
12 Years a Slave started with the initial vote, but failed to keep its presence on a majority of ballots; the three-way tie for second — between American Hustle, Gravity and Her — showed the lack of consensus.
Dropping out proxies turned the vote over to the 17 members present, at which point Inside Llewyn Davissurged from a distant fifth into first place.
Best Director: Joel and Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis (second ballot)
Alfonso Cuaron had the points but not the ballots in the first round, with Steve McQueen in second and Spike Jonze and the Coen brothers bagging third. But finally, the Coens were on the top, with Cuaron in second and McQueen in third.
Best Actor: Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis (second ballot)
Isaac was tied for fourth after the first ballot, trailing by Chewitel Ejiofor, Matthew McConaughey and Robert Redford. But he surged into first on the second ballot, with 28 points to Ejiofor’s second-place 19.
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Although just narrowly on a sufficient number of ballots, Blanchett’s Passiondex was high enough to give her a commanding first-round victory, with 57 points over Adele Exarchopoulos (36) and Julie Delpy (26).
Best Supporting Actor: James Franco, Spring Breakers (second ballot)
Jared Leto led the first vote, with 47 points to Franco’s 36, but did not appear on a majority of ballots. In the second round, the positions were switched, with Franco prevailing 24 to 20. A motion was made to honor Franco for both Spring Breakers and This Is the End, but it was voted down in favor of a stronger pro-Alien statement.
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
An easy first-ballot victory, with Lupita Nyong’o in second and Lea Seydoux and Sally Hawkins tied for third.
Best Screenplay: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight (second ballot)
The only time a first-ballot lead held for a second, with Before Midnight holding onto a slight lead over Inside Llewyn Davis.
Best Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis (second ballot)
Gravity had a large lead in the first vote but fell one ballot short of a plurality. Once again, positions flip-flopped on the second ballot, with Llewyn Davis gaining a slight lead.
Best Foreign Film: Blue Is the Warmest Color (second ballot)
Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty had a slight advantage over Blue Is the Warmest Color in the first round, with A Touch of Sin in third, but none failed to make their appearance in majority ballots. Second-round balloting jumbled the order, with Blue coming in first, A Touch of Sin second and The Great Beauty third.
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing/At Berkeley (tie) (second ballot)
Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell led the first ballot, followed by The Act of Killing, Leviathan and At Berkeley.
Best Experimental Film: Leviathan