2021 Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) puts the pedal to the metal for ‘Drive My Car’

The Boston Society of Film Critics, one of the oldest critics groups in existence, has named Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car the Best Picture of 2021 among its many accolades earned by the org today.

Hamaguchi also won Best Director and his adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story with Takamasa Oe’s won the pair Best Screenplay for Drive My Car, a vote that was decided on in the first round by an overwhelming majority. The film also earned an inspired win for Hidetoshi Nishijima in Best Actor, which was revealed to be won in a “landslide vote.”

As a part of the by-laws of the BSFC, if a non-English language film wins Best Picture it cannot win Best Non-English Language Film (they’re voted on at the same time) and this year opted to create a Best English Language Film category to balance it out. Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog won that this year.

CODA’s Troy Kostur won Supporting Actor, narrowly edging out Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog), his second prize so far this season after his Gotham win.

Maggie Gyllenhaal won the group’s Best New Filmmaker prize for her feature directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, starring Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Jessie Buckley, who was a surprise win for Supporting Actress. It is Gyllenhaal’s 3rd win after the Gothams and NYFCC.

The Boston crowd can always be counted on for some inspired wins in film editing and this year was no different. Their winner was Todd Haynes’ music doc The Velvet Underground, cut by Affonso Conçlaves and Adam Kurnitz. In 2010, the group awarded their editing prize to Christian Marclay’s The Clock, a 24-hour long film that cobbled together archival footage from film and television about time and timepieces.

The group, which traditionally has announced runners-up, opted not to this year, possibly a result of the kerfuffle that erupted after the NYFCC winners announcement of Lady Gaga as Best Actress for House of Gucci between NYFCC members and Boston Online Film Critics Association member Jordan Ruimy who had posted a blog piece stating several runners-up names he said came directly from secret communications with NYFCC members. Instead, voters revealed films and performances that were also in the running but avoided any official announcement of runners-up. The Boston Online Film Critics Association, which announced their winners yesterday, does not reveal runners-up.

Here is the complete list of winners for the 2021 Boston Society of Film Critics awards.

Best Picture: Drive My Car

Best English Language Film: The Power of the Dog

Best Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car

Best Actor: Hidetoshi Nishijima – Drive My Car

Best Actress: Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza

Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kostur – CODA

Best Supporting Actress: Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter

Best Ensemble: Licorice Pizza

Best New Filmmaker: Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter

Best Screenplay: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe – Drive My Car

Best Score: Jonny Greenwood – Spencer

Best Film Editing: Affonso Conçlaves and Adam Kurnitz – The Velvet Underground

Best Cinematography: Ari Wegner – The Power of the Dog

Best Animated Film: Flee

Best Documentary: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)