UNITED STATES
Vanity Fair
BY RICHARD LAWSON
Sure, it’s only October, but that’s no reason why we can’t get the awards season rolling with the first awards nominations of the year. The Gotham Awards, which highlight the best independent films of the year (along with the actors, writers, and directors who made them happen), announced its 2015 nominations this morning, so let’s see if we can glean anything about the Oscar season from these first, very early tea leaves.
The big takeaway is probably that the Gothams took special care to invent an award for the ensemble cast of Spotlight, Tom McCarthy’s journalism procedural, which took the Toronto Film Festival by storm in September. Could this be an early indicator that Spotlight is, as we’ve intimated on these pages, the current front-runner for a best-picture Academy Award? I think so! Of course, there are still some unseen movies lurking on the horizon—Joy, The Hateful Eight, The Revenant—that could spoil it for Spotlight, but right now it’s the film to beat.
Elsewhere, Carol had a strong showing, nominated for best feature, best screenplay, and best actress. Cate Blanchett was the performer singled out here, which might further dilute her co-star Rooney Mara’s awards chances, even though Mara won the best actress prize at Cannes. Though, she’ll likely be run in supporting for the big dance, so this snub might not actually mean anything bad for her. Either way, the nominations are a good, important bump for the film, which has been received rapturously by critics at festivals, but has to sustain that buzz until it’s released next month, and beyond.
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