The Best Of Creatives On The Big Screen In 2023
The people on and off the big screen who made the most significant impact in the past calendar year (the Oscar nominations are Tuesday Jan. 23)
By Omar Moore
January 22, 2024
BEST DIRECTOR — Jonathan Glazer, THE ZONE OF INTEREST
The British director, in only his fourth feature film, made the most of an economy of shotmaking and camera movement to tell a shattering, unforgettable story — more a mood and terror piece than a story, more a cinema verite glimpse than a narrative. The message, in “The Zone Of Interest” is all-too-terrifyingly clear: the enemy is us.
Runner-up: Ava DuVernay, ORIGIN
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY — Matthew J. Lloyd, ORIGIN
The texture of “Origin” is so critically important and Matthew Lloyd’s camera angles and overall orchestration (many shots are positioned at low angles) help make Ava DuVernay’s film the earthy, enriching, deeply affecting dramatic journey it is.
Runner-up: Lukasz Zal, THE ZONE OF INTEREST
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN — Sarah Greenwood, BARBIE
If you never understood or knew about the environment and world of “Barbie” Sarah Greenwood’s breathtaking confection-adorned production design, more than anything else about Greta Gerwig’s fine film, conveyed it in a nutshell. Sumptuous and so delicious you could eat it. Candied brilliance.
Runner-up: Robbie Ryan, POOR THINGS
BEST EDITING — Paul Watts, THE ZONE OF INTEREST
The editing by Paul Watts is stark, discreet and sparing, only lending further power and unease to the atmosphere in which banal behavior in the face of evil and horror becomes a violence all its own.
Runner-up: Spencer Averick, ORIGIN
BEST COSTUME DESIGN — Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, THE COLOR PURPLE
The costumes and colors are the most arresting aspects of Blitz Bazawule’s big, bold and beautiful musical drama “The Color Purple”, and that is down to Ms. Jamison-Tanchuck, whose eye-catching wardrobe gives additional resplendence to the iconic characters.
Runner-up: Jacqueline Durran, BARBIE
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY — Ava DuVernay, ORIGIN
This is adaptation in the true sense of that word. Ms. DuVernay was often told that Isabel Wilkerson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Cast: The Origins Of Our Discontents” was “unadaptable”. Not only did the visionary filmmaker adapt the book for the big screen, she mined its deep roots, branches and core so clearly and profoundly to make “Origin” a towering, indelible work all its own.
Runner-up: Cord Jefferson, AMERICAN FICTION
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY — Celine Song, PAST LIVES
Written with keen sensitivity and precision, Celine Song’s “Past Lives” feels so refreshingly adult as it wrestles with intimate, delicate conundrums and life matters that affect all the players on this cool, subdued transcontinental stage.
Runner-up: Ari Kaurismäki, FALLEN LEAVES
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE — Mica Levi, THE ZONE OF INTEREST
The haunting score is perfect accompaniment for such an unsettling and important film.
Runner-up: Daniel Pemberton, SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
BEST SOUND — OPPENHEIMER
Sound is the most effective and crucial aspect of Christopher Nolan’s film.
Runner-up: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
BEST SOUND EDITING — OPPENHEIMER
Sound is a character unto itself in Christopher Nolan’s film and plays a key role throughout it. The way sound/audio is withdrawn or added to a scene is done very well.
Runner-up: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE — SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
This is one of the very best animated films ever made. Pulsing with color, dynamism and richness in every frame, you needn’t be a “Spider-Man” or Marvel fan to appreciate this visually staggering film and fulsome story with genuinely well-drawn characters.
Runner-up: No runner-up — “Spider-Man” was that good!
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM — THE ZONE OF INTEREST (Poland/Germany)
“The Zone Of Interest” is such a powerful and unsettling work. Mr. Glazer’s film is timely, and sadly it is timeless. This is a universal film with an undeniable universal language.
Runner-up: FALLEN LEAVES (Finland)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS — Da’Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS
Perceptive and balanced, Ms. Randolph provides nuance and an open heart to her character in Alexander Payne’s sharp, lively road trip comedy. Often commanding in grace and modesty, Ms. Randolph is heartbreaking and joyous in the same moments, such is her excellent work here.
Runner-up: Danielle Brooks, THE COLOR PURPLE
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR — Charles Melton, MAY DECEMBER
One of the most finely-tuned and fully-embodied performances of 2023, Charles Melton turned what would in some hands be a ho-hum character into one of curiosity, angst, discovery and growth. Really good work in a surprisingly disappointing Todd Haynes film.
Runner-up: Sterling K. Brown, AMERICAN FICTION
BEST ACTRESS — Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, ORIGIN
A performance that plums the depths of soul, heart, intellectual rigor and courage of a character who intrepidly journeys to the center of a global crisis and revelation. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (see photo at the top of this article) absolutely does it all as Isabel Wilkerson, a real-life Pulitzer Prize-winning author investigating one of the world’s most oppressive conditions. There’s a tremendous empathy, humanity, certitude and honesty about what Ms. Ellis-Taylor does on the big screen in “Origin”, and it is poetic and truly profound.
Runner-up: Fantasia Barrino, THE COLOR PURPLE
BEST ACTOR — Jeffrey Wright, AMERICAN FICTION
Quietly and imperceptibly Jeffrey Wright (see photo in the midway point of this article) gives a stellar performance that undulates as his uptight, anti-social author character fights himself, develops awareness and tries to make a statement to the white-owned publishing world. Mr. Wright’s body language is so deft and clever as he shapes his character so subtly before our eyes. This is the best performance he has given in his big screen career.
Runner-up: Cillian Murphy, OPPENHEIMER
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