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Personal Ballot for 2023, List Version

Hiya! Dreams of doing a gigantic write-up in time for the Oscars have again (again) been deferred. I wanted to do more, but it just didn’t pull together. It sucks! The dream will stay alive, especially if work is slow enough for me to find the time, but the important thing is that we’re living…

Nick Taylor
11–17 minutes
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Hiya! Dreams of doing a gigantic write-up in time for the Oscars have again (again) been deferred. I wanted to do more, but it just didn’t pull together. It sucks! The dream will stay alive, especially if work is slow enough for me to find the time, but the important thing is that we’re living and doing our best. On the plus side, I feel very happy with the writing I’ve done for other projects, the conversations I’ve had about this year’s films, and the articles I’ve read from other folks. Film criticism rules! To celebrate all that, and all you good people who make this worthwhile, I’ve stamped a lot of links all over this ballot, pinging back to pieces from myself and other writers I deeply admire. This is by no means everything, and if more links pop up over the next few days, check those out! But here it is, my personal cinematic faves from the year of our lord 2023. Please share your thoughts and your own highlights – I really do love hearing what everyone’s favorites have been. Love y’all so much.

Tótem, dir. Lila Aviles

* – original nominee that subsequent became a runner-up
^ – runner-up that was originally a nominee
^^ – runner-up that was a nominee and then became a runner-up again
” – film seen after original ballot was posted
Last updated: Sept. 27, 2024

Picture

  1. Tótem, dir. Lila Aviles
  2. Law of Tehran, dir. Saeed Roustaee
  3. The Delinquents. dir. Rodrigo Moreno
  4. The Taste of Things, dir. Tran Anh Hung
  5. Four Daughters, dir. Kaouther Ben Hania^
  6. Anatomy of a Fall, dir. Justine Triet
  7. Alcarrás, dir. Carla Simón
  8. Earth Mama, dir. Savanah Leaf
  9. Our Body, dir. Claire Símon
  10. Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music, dirs. Robert Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman

Runners-Up: Pacifiction*, The Kings of the World*, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Monster, Asteroid City, Godland, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Afire, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, A Thousand and One, Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, Master Gardener.

Director

  • Alcarrás, Carla Simón
  • The Kings of the World, Laura Mora Ortega
  • Law of Tehran, Saeed Roustaee
  • The Taste of Things, Tran Anh Hung
  • Tótem, Lila Aviles

Runners-Up: Rodrigo Moreno (The Delinquents), Savanah Leaf (Earth Mama), Kaouther Ben Hania (Four Daughters), Albert Serra (Pacifiction), Claire Símon (Our Body), Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall), Alice Rohrwacher (La Chimera), Hirokazu Kore-eda (Monster), Hlynur Pálmasson (Godland), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), Raven Jackson (All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt), Wes Anderson (Asteroid City), Frederick Wiseman (Menus Plaisirs – Les Troigros), Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music), Paul Schraeder (Master Gardener), A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One), Asmae El Moudir (The Mother of All Lies), Susana Nobre (Jack’s Ride), Cristin Mungiu (R.M.N.).

Documentary Film

  • 20 Days in Mariupol, dir. Mystyslav Chernov^
  • De Humani Corporis Fabrica, dirs. Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Veréna Pavel
  • Four Daughters, dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
  • Our Body, dir. Claire Símon
  • Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music, dirs. Robert Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman

Runners-Up: Kokomo City, Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgos*, The Mother of All Lies, Lakota Nation vs The United States, Rewind and Play, Silver Dollar Road, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, Liquor Store Dreams.

International Film (Not in Best Picture)

Runners-Up: Monster, Afire, The Beast”, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Godzilla Minus One, The Zone of Interest, La Chimera^^, Blue Giant, Suzume, Mami Wata, The Missing, Red Rooms.

Animated Film

  • Blue Giant, dir. Yuzuru Tachiawa
  • The Boy and The Heron, dir. Hayao Miyazaki
  • Robot Dreams, dir. Pablo Berger
  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, dirs. Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, and Kemp Powers
  • Suzume, dir. Makoto Shinkai

Runners-Up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

Ensemble

  • Alcarrás, casting dir. Mireia Juarez
  • Anatomy of a Fall, casting dir. Cynthia Arra
  • Joyland, casting dir. Saim Sadiq
  • Law of Tehran, casting dirs. Sajjad Dolati and Arastoo Sohrabinya
  • Tótem, casting dirs. Lila Aviles and Gabriela Catrol

Runners-Up: Earth Mama, About Dry Grasses, Barbie, Afire, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret., Asteroid City, Rotting in the Sun, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, R.M.N., The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Monster, Oppenheimer, You Hurt My Feelings, Killers of the Flower Moon, May December, Bottoms, A Thousand and One, Knock at the Cabin, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Dicks: The Musical, The Unknown Country, Beau is Afraid, Polite Society.

Lead Actress

Runners-Up: Teyana Taylor (A Thousand and One), Trace Lysette (Monica), Tia Nomore (Earth Mama), Juliette Binoche (The Taste of Things), Naima Senties (Tótem), Rasti Farooq (Joyland), Abby Ryder Forston (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Jennifer Lawrence (No Hard Feelings), Sakura Ando (Monster), Natalie Portman (May December), Carey Mulligan (Maestro), Judith State (R.M.N.), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Chieko Baisho (Plan 75), Julia Garner (The Royal Hotel), Teyonah Parris (They Cloned Tyrone), Lily Gladstone (The Unknown Country), Sophie Van Hasselberg (Give Me Pity!), Ayo Edibiri (Bottoms).

Lead Actor

Runners-Up: Jason Schwartzman (Asteroid City), Thomas Schubert (Afire), Benoit Magimel (The Taste of Things), Dave Bautista (Knock at the Cabin), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), Koji Yakusho (Perfect Days), Joel Edgerton (Master Gardener), Soya Kurokawa (Monster), Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Jason Clarke (The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial), Andrew Barth Feldman (No Hard Feelings), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Josh O’Connor (La Chimera), Charles Melton (May December), Russell Crowe (The Pope’s Exorcist), Tobias Menzies (You Hurt My Feelings), Barry Keoghan (Saltburn), Benoit Magimel (Pacifiction), Glenn Howerton (BlackBerry), Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon), Ryunosuke Ichikawa (Godzilla Minus One), Joaquin Phoenix (Beau is Afraid), Ali Junejo (Joyland), Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers), Ben Whishaw (Passages).

Supporting Actress

  • About Dry Grasses, Merve Dizdar
  • Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret., Rachel McAdams
  • Blue Jean, Kerrie Hayes
  • Earth Mama, Erika Alexander^
  • Showing Up, Hong Chau

Runners-Up: Pahoa Mahagafanua (Pacifiction)*, Catalina Saavedra (Rotting in the Sun), Paula Beer (Afire), Penelopé Cruz (Ferrari), Sigourney Weaver (Master Gardener), Erika Alexander (American Fiction), Marisol Gasé (Tótem), Kerry O’Malley (The Killer), Sarwat Gilani (Joyland), Alina Khan (Joyland), Scarlett Johansson (Asteroid City), Parker Posey (Beau is Afraid), Mia Goth (Infinity Pool), Pom Klementiff (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Knock at the Cabin), Lucia Uribe (Tótem), Alyssa Sutherland (Evil Dead Rise), Claire Foy (All of Us Strangers), Rosamund Pike (Saltburn), Montserrat Marañon (Tótem), Monica Raymund (The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial), Paula Luchsinger (El Conde), Tilda Swinton (The Killer), Viola Davis (Air), Carrie Preston (The Holdovers), Michaela Watkins (You Hurt My Feelings), Patricia Clarkson (Monica), America Ferrera (Barbie), Carey Mulligan (Saltburn), Megan Mullaly (Dicks: The Musical), Stella Gonet (El Conde), Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer), Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms), Hanna Schygulla (Poor Things).

Supporting Actor

  • Anatomy of a Fall, Milo Machado Graner
  • Barbie, Ryan Gosling
  • Godland, Ingvar Sigurdsson
  • Our Father, the Devil, Souleymane Sy Savane
  • A Thousand and One, William Catlett

Runners-Up: Jonathan Tucker (Palm Trees and Power Lines), Jordi Pujol Dolcet (Alcarrás), Donnie Yen (John Wick Chapter 4), John Magaro (Past Lives), Jamie Foxx (They Cloned Tyrone), Swann Arlaud (Anatomy of a Fall), Antoine Reinartz (Anatomy of a Fall), Hinata Hiragi (Monster), Lance Reddick (The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial), Kiefer Sutherland (The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial), Ty Mitchell (Killers of the Flower Moon), Jacob Elordi (Saltburn), David Krumholtz (Oppenheimer), Samuel Theis (Anatomy of a Fall), Benny Safdie (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.), Robert Downey Jr (Oppenheimer), Josiah Cross (A Thousand and One), Macon Blair (Oppenheimer), Casey Affleck (Oppenheimer), Christopher Abbott (Poor Things), Mateo García Elizondo (Tótem), Kingsley Ben-Adir (Barbie), Alden Ehrenreich (Oppenheimer), John Ramsey (Killers of the Flower Moon), Josep Abad (Alcarrás), Chukwudi Iwuji (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Alfredo Castro (El Conde), Miles Fowler (Bottoms), Nicholas Galitzine (Bottoms), Nathan Lane (Dicks: The Musical), Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers), Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers).

Original Screenplay

  • Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
  • Asteroid City, Wes Anderson
  • Law of Tehran, Saeed Roustaee
  • Monster, Yuji Sakamoto
  • Tótem, Lila Aviles

Runners-Up: The Delinquents, R.M.N., Afire, Alcarrás, Four Daughters, About Dry Grasses, Master Gardener, Perfect Days, Other People’s Children, Past Lives, A Thousand and One, Rotting in the Sun, May December, Suzume, Saltburn, You Hurt My Feelings, Palm Trees and Power Lines, Joyland, Mami Wata, El Conde, The Kings of the World.

Adapted Screenplay

  • Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret., Kelly Fremon Craig
  • Blue Giant, NUMBER 8
  • The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, William Friedkin
  • Knock at the Cabin, M. Night Shyamalan, Steve Desmond, and Michael Sherman
  • Earth Mama, Savanah Leaf

Runners-Up: The Taste of Things, Barbie*, Oppenheimer, Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, The Zone of Interest, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, All of Us Strangers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Godzilla Minus One, The Royal Hotel, Red White and Royal Blue, Robot Dreams.

Cinematography

  • Godland, Maria von Hausswolff
  • The Kings of the World, David Gallego
  • Mami Wata, Lilis Soares
  • Pacifiction, Artur Tort
  • The Taste of Things, Jonathan Ricquebourg

Runners-Up: La Chimera, Joyland, Alcarrás, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Scarlet, Earth Mama, Maestro, Monica, Kokomo City, Bait, Enys Men, Saltburn, Tótem, Oppenheimer, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Knock at the Cabin, Four Daughters, The Zone of Interest, Ferrari, El Conde, 20 Days in Mariupol, Palm Trees and Power Lines, R.M.N., Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music.

Film Editing

  • All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Lee Chatametikool
  • The Delinquents, Karen Akerman, Manuel Ferrari, Nicolás Goldbart, and Rodrigo Moreno
  • De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Veréna Pavel
  • The Kings of the World, Sebastian Hernandez and Gustavo Vasco
  • New Religion, Keishi Kondo

Runners-Up: Anatomy of a Fall, Perfect Days, Alcarrás, The Taste of Things, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Barbie, Rewind and Play, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, Oppenheimer, Monster, Four Daughters, Law of Tehran, Bait, 20 Days in Mariupol, Ferrari, Past Lives, Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music, Killers of the Flower Moon, R.M.N., Rotting in the Sun, Godland, The Killer.

Sound Design

  • The Delinquents, Pablo Bahamondez and Roberto Espinoza
  • Huesera: The Bone Woman, Christian Giraud and Pablo Lach
  • The Kings of the World, André Bendocchi-Alves, Carlos García, Alejandra Mosquera, and Miguel Villada
  • Oppenheimer, Willie D. Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo, and Kevin O’Connell
  • The Zone of Interest, Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn

Runners-Up: Maestro, Ferrari, The Outwaters, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, Evil Dead Rise, Bait, Enys Men, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, 20 Days in Mariupol, New Religion, Infinity Pool, Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music, Pacifiction, The Killer, Mami Wata, Talk to Me, Barbie.

Score

  • Blue Giant, Hiromi
  • The Boy and The Heron, Joe Hisiashi
  • Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Robertson
  • Monster, Ryuichi Sakamoto^
  • A Thousand and One, Gary Gunn

Runners-Up: Oppenheimer, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Master Gardener*, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers, Suzume, Asteroid City, Scarlet, Poor Things, Godzilla Minus One, Barbie, Past Lives, Earth Mama, Pacifiction, Blue Jean, The Killer, Eileen.

Production Design

  • Barbie, Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer
  • Beau is Afraid, Fiona Crombie
  • Showing Up, Anthony Gasparro, Lisa Ward, Amy Beth Silver, Donald Scott Masterson, and The Contributing Artists
  • The Taste of Things, Toma Baqueni and Nu Yên-Khê Tran
  • The Zone of Interest, Chris Oddy^

Runners-Up: Asteroid City*, The Mother of all Lies, Killers of the Flower Moon, Godzilla Minus One, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Saltburn, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Godland, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, Oppenheimer, Master Gardener, Give Me Pity!, Evil Dead Rise, Poor Things, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Bottoms.

Costume Design

  • Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., Ann Roth
  • Barbie, Jacqueline Durran
  • Killers of the Flower Moon, Jacqueline West
  • Priscilla, Stacey Batatt
  • A Thousand and One, Melissa Vargas

Runners-Up: Polite Society, The Taste of Things, La Chimera, Maestro, Passages, El Conde, They Cloned Tyrone, Asteroid City, Mami Wata, Give Me Pity!, Oppenheimer, Master Gardener, May December, Rye Lane, Poor Things, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Pacifiction.

Makeup & Hair Styling

  • Barbie, Tilly Calder and Maha
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Alexei Dmitriew, Lindsay MacGowan, and Shane Mahan
  • Nyad, Felicity Browning, Leo Corey Castellano, and Daniel Curet
  • Talk to Me, Rebecca Buratto and Paul Katte
  • When Evil Lurks, Elisabet Gora

Runners-Up: Priscilla, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Maestro, Mami Wata, Beau is Afraid, Society of the Snow, Poor Things, They Cloned Tyrone, Evil Dead Rise, Asteroid City, Oppenheimer, A Thousand and One, Killers of the Flower Moon, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret., You Hurt My Feelings.

Visual Effects

Runners-Up: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Evil Dead Rise, Poor Things, Barbie, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Ferrari, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Nyad.

Original Song

Runners-Up: Give Me Pity! “Even Though”, Give Me Pity! “Makin’ It!”, Asteroid City “Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)”, Past Lives “Quiet Eyes”, Killers of the Flower Moon “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)”, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse “Am I Dreaming?”.

Nomination Total:

9 – Barbie.
6 – Law of Tehran.
5 – Anatomy of a Fall.
4 – The Kings of the World, The Taste of Things, Tótem.
3 – Alcarrás, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., The Delinquents, Earth Mama, Pacifiction, Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music, A Thousand and One, The Zone of Interest.
2 – About Dry Grasses, Blue Giant, The Boy and The Heron, Four Daughters, Godland, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Killers of the Flower Moon, Monster, Oppenheimer, Our Body, Our Father, the Devil
1 – 20 Days in Mariupol, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Asteroid City, The Beast, Beau is Afraid, Blue Jean, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Close Your Eyes, Dicks: The Musical, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Give Me Pity!, Godzilla Minus One, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Huesera: The Bone Woman, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, The Killer, May December, New Religion, Nyad, Other People’s Children, Past Lives, Priscilla, Robot Dreams, Samsara, Society of the Snow, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Suzume, Talk to Me, When Evil Lurks.

Best films with no nominations:

Afire, Bait, Bottoms, El Conde, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Kokomo City, Maestro, Menus plaisirs – Les Troigros, The Mother of All Lies, The Outwaters, Palm Trees and Power Lines, Plan 75, Polite Society, R.M.N., Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, Saltburn, Scarlet, You Hurt My Feelings.

Still to see

20000 Species of Bees, After Love, Another Body, The Ants and the Grasshopper, Apolonia Apolonia, Ballerina, The Beast, The Beasts, Beyond Utopia, Blind Willow Sleeping Woman, The Blue Caftan, Bobi Wine: The People’s President, Brother, The Burial, Cairo Conspiracy, Carmen, Chevalier, The Civil Dead, The Creator, Creed III, Dry Ground Burning, El Dorado – Everything the Nazis Hate, Elemental, Fallen Leaves, Flora and Son, The First Slam Dunk, The Five Devils, Fremont, Full Time, Geographies of Solitude, Great Photo Lovely Life, Jules, Kaguya-sama: Love is War – The First Kiss That Never Ends, The Iron Claw, L’immensita, Last Summer, The Little Mermaid, Lonely Castle in the Mirror, Madeline Collins, The Mission, Music, Napoleon, Of an Age, Origin, The Peasants, The Plains, Return to Dust, Revoir Paris, Sanctuary, Sharper, Shayda, Sick of Myself, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, The Starling Girl, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Theatre Camp, Trenque Laquen, Unclenching the Fists, Wandering Heart.

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