The Films of 2021. The 22nd annual FiLM BiTCH Awards
PICTURE | ACTING | VISUALS | AURALS | EXTRAS | SPECIAL | SCENES
AND THE WINNERS ARE...
gold medal
silver medal
bronze medal
|
Best Actress
discuss |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Jessica Chastain "Tammy Faye" THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE |
Olivia Colman "Leda" THE LOST DAUGHTER |
Martha Plimpton "Gail" MASS |
Renata Reinsve
"Julie" WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD |
Tessa Thompson
"Irene" PASSING |
|
Expert biopic mimicry, sure, but more impressive is the way she keeps an eye on Tammy's sexuality, her womanchild naivete, and the seriocomic way her voice is always between crying and giggling. |
A thorny and dimensional portrait. How does she convey so much so intricately (her gradations of feeling for co-stars) while still remaining elusive psychologically -- especially with Nina. |
It's not quite the volcanic eruption she's perpetually keeping in check that astonishes but how ready she is for the cooling down. The sheer control of this utterly moving character arc is breathtaking. [INTERVIEW] |
A revelation as a young woman who lives in her own mind and occassionally lets it race. The chemistry with both romantic partners (and simultaneous loneliness) is differentiated and thrilling. |
Irene's reserved nature -- watching, stewing, thinking (or refusing to think on certain topics) -- aren't the "Most" acting which awards tend to notice but she's brilliant at conveying it. Plus those retro vocal cadences. |
|
Finalist: Two of our favourite actresses deliver again -- Penelope Cruz makes "Janis" crystal clear emotionally despite the melodramatic circumstances in Parallel Mothers and Nicole Kidman surprises with a bold and cerebral take on "Lucille Ball" in Being the Ricardos, especially effective in her reveries around creativity. Semi-Finalists: Taylor Paige and Riley Keough are daring, stunning, and hilarious as "Zola" and "Stefani" in Zola, Ann Dowd is a powerful force of guilt and regret as "Linda" in Mass, Virginie Efira gives yet another very impressive committed star turn as "Benedetta" in Benedetta, and Alaina Haim is a magnetic funny find as aimless"Alana Kane" in Licorice Pizza |
||||
Best Actor
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Benedict Cumberbatch "Phil Burbank" POWER OF THE DOG |
Andrew Garfield "Jonathan Larson" TICK TICK BOOM! |
Jason Isaacs "Jay" MASS |
Hidetoshi Nishijma "Yûsuke Kafuku" DRIVE MY CAR |
Simon Rex |
|
Misery loves company so he weaponizes it. A boldly external performance but in the quiet solitary moments so much wounded stunted interiority. |
Another breathlessly external performance, but it vibrates with feeling , humor, and purpose (and self-regard for those same things in his most clever touch) |
Who knew he had this in him? A marvelous deeply interior rendering of habitual mourning. At some point this damn will have to break. |
A more cerebral take on grief. An understated but deeply felt portrait of art as calling / coping mechanism. He surprises himself. And us. |
A smart funny take on exhibitionism and extroversion w/out interiority. Mikey is all surface. Bonus points for no softening of the edges of predatory instincts / self-delusion. [INTERVIEW] |
|
Finalists: Denzel Washington is a potent commanding "Macbeth" in The Tragedy of Macbeth, as "Vincent" Vincent Lindon is a towering mountain of feeling and willful self-deceit in Titane Semi Finalists: Anthony Ramos is effervescent and believably spontaneous (though musical performances are anything but) as "Uznavi" in In the Heights, Will Smith is charismatic and heartfelt as "Richard Williams" in King Richard, Woody Norman & Joaquin Phoenix as "Jesse" & "Johnny" in C'mon c'mon make a wonderfully sensitive duo as nephew and uncle, and Nicolas Cage is smartly understated but soulful hermit "Rob" in Pig |
||||
|
Best Supporting Actress
discuss |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Polly Draper |
Kirsten Dunst |
Aunjanue Ellis "Oracene 'Brandy' Williams" KING RICHARD |
Kathryn Hunter |
Ruth Negga "Clare" PASSING |
| A perfect comic foil: exasperation, guilt-tripping, judgment, love, annoyance, all bundled up in every facial furrow and expert line reading. Why isn't Hollywood throwing scripts at her? |
For the way she threads delicate fragility, weary disappointment, social anxiety, and charitable feeling together until you're unsure which has made her most vulnerable to Phil or open to George. |
So fierce resourceful and observant that you wish the film didn't keep backgrounding her. Her characterization comes roaring to life anyway, occassionally putting Richard/the film on notice. |
Her Weïrd Sisters are a unique blend of avant-garde theatricality (that contorting physicality) and cinematic otherwordliness (that ancient cracked voice). Unforgettable stuff. |
A dazzling elusive and maddening star turn. So multi-faceted and precise that you believe all the reactions to her externally while also fearing for / obsessing over her internal chaos. Performance of the Year, Any Category. |
|
Finalists: Gaby Hoffman is sublime and even makes phone call acting exciting as "Viv" in C'mon C'mon, and Rita Moreno is perfectly deployed and moving as "Valentina" while Ariana DeBose has a fiery ball as "Anita" in West Side Story Semi-Finalists: The the always reliable Nina Arianda is terrific as the frustrated and undervalued "Vivian Vance" in Being the Ricardos, Charlotte Rampling is frighteningly pragmatic within both power plays and defeat as "The Abbess" in Benedetta, Dianne Wiest is so stunning and suggestive as "Jennifer Peterson" in I Care A Lot that we wanted the whole film to take place in her nursing home, and Dagmara Dominczyck as "Callie" in The Lost Daughter makes a shockingly large impression for such little screen time. (It's worth noting that any of The Lost Daughter actresses could have been placed here which is why we had to nominate all of them in "Best Ensemble") |
||||
|
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
discuss |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Colman Domingo "X" ZOLA |
Mike Faist "Riff" WEST SIDE STORY |
Troy Kotsur "Frank Rossi" CODA |
Anders Danielsen Lie "Aksel" WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD |
Kodi Smit McPhee "Peter Gordon" POWER OF THE DOG |
|
Unpredictable and unnerving without ever imbalancing the film's humor. Or to quote my friend Ben "Every choice he makes in Zola is completely insane and absolutely correct" [INTERVIEW] |
West Side Story is beautifully acted elsewhere but he's the sole player to completely reinvent his role, with a combustible mix of nihilism, shaded interiority, and aversion to change. Thrilling. [INTERVIEW] | Feel good dramas benefit immeasurably from fully rounded supporting work. His lust for his wife, his manly pride, his curiousity about his daughter's singing...all gorgeously rendered. |
Wonderfully reserved but multi-dimensional as Julie's older boyfriend (who has believably lived a whole life before her). His longing for the analog past hits like a ton of bricks. |
A sly turn in the movie's back half, his performance shifting prismatically with rewatch. Bonus points for that elusive sexuality. What is real and what is performed for Phil? |
|
Finalists: Jeffrey Wright so affecting as "Roebuck Wright" of the impeccable taste and perfect memory in The French Dispatch, Jesse Plemons does so much so minimally at suggesting the simple (but not dumb) interiority of "George Burbank" in The Power of the Dog Semi Finalists: Jamie Dornan as conflicted but steady "Pa" in Belfast, Ben Affleck charismatic as the idolized "Uncle Charlie" in The Tender Bar, David Harbour is perfectly comic-book broad as "Alexei/Red Guardian" in Black Widow, André Holland as smart confrontational "Brian" in Passing who wonders what the hell is going on with his wife, and Robin De Jesus as loyal sensible "Michael" in tick tick..BOOM! PLEASE NOTE: We also have a "limited role" category for actors with two scenes or less... Otherwise Bradley Cooper would have been in this category for Licorice Pizza |
||||
PICTURE | ACTING | VISUALS | AURALS | EXTRAS | SPECIAL | SCENES