The Refreshing ‘A Different Man’ Best Feature Win Surprised Many in the Room at the Gothams
In a refreshing and unpredictable swerve, Aaron Schimberg’s New York theater satire “A Different Man” picked up Best Feature at the 2024 Gotham Awards on Monday night. The Sundance premiere, about a washed-up actor (Sebastian Stan) with neurofibromatosis who undergoes facial reconstruction surgery only to be confronted by his much more confident double (Adam Pearson), shot on the Upper West Side in New York and has been an awards season dark horse with support from critics here.
Stan is also in the Oscar mix for his portrayal of Donald Trump in “The Apprentice,” which didn’t place on the Gotham nominations list. Bets were on “Anora” to win the Best Feature prize, so “A Different Man” winning was an unexpected treat.
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At the event held at Cipriani on Wall Street, I bumped into Stan and Pearson early in the evening, with Pearson flying in from the U.K. over the weekend and back in New York enjoying the bar scene after a packed press cycle back in September, when “A Different Man” opened to muted box office but strong reviews. This morbidly funny movie will be a factor in the New York Film Critics Circle vote happening on Tuesday, December 3.
“Sing Sing,” a summer release from A24, cleaned up as well. The drama, set inside the Upstate New York prison about a troupe of actors forming within its walls, won Outstanding Lead Performance for Colman Domingo (the Gothams now consolidate all lead performers regardless of gender into one category) and Outstanding Supporting Performance for Clarence Maclin in his feature film debut. Earlier in the night, the film also picked up a pre-packaged Social Justice Tribute Award from the Gotham Institute; “Sing Sing” revolves around the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, which has seen a low recidivism rate for its participants. Directed by Greg Kwedar, “Sing Sing” needed this boost heading into the Oscar race, where Colman Domingo seems destined for a nomination, at least.
Though remember that the Gotham nominations are selected by clusters of insiders — critics and programmers who don’t overlap with the Academy and make their decisions in tightly huddled Zooms for only a few. “Anora” was expected to win at least something, but the movie went home empty-handed. Not so for “Nickel Boys,” which needs support heading into the Oscar race and won Best Director for RaMell Ross and Breakthrough Performer for Brandon Wilson as a young man subjected to the cruelties of an abusive reform school in the 1960s.
Getting some awards-voting attention was “Dune: Part Two” director Denis Villeneuve with a tribute from “Challengers” star Zendaya. “Challengers” screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes was in attendance with his partner, Celine Song, who was the belle of the ball last year with her Best Feature win for “Past Lives.” Her next film, the star-studded “Materialists” with Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal, is in post-production at Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler’s Killer Films, which backed “A Different Man.” While the romantic drama (another love triangle of sorts) isn’t expected to pop at Sundance as was the case for “Past Lives,” we could see it at Berlin or Cannes.
Top nominees like “Babygirl,” “I Saw the TV Glow,” and “The Brutalist,” all from “A Different Man” distributor A24, were also-rans. Trans filmmaker Vera Drew won Breakthrough Director for her outré take on the titular DC villain with “The People’s Joker.”
Angelina Jolie, who seems a lock for a Best Actress Oscar nomination for “Maria,” gave a heartened speech about independent film artistry upon accepting her own tribute award. I was pleased to see Azazel Jacobs win Best Screenplay for the awards-season-underrated and lovely “His Three Daughters,” also at Netflix. “No Other Land,” about the Israeli military dissolution of a Palestinian settlement in the West Bank, won Best Documentary Feature. It has no U.S. distributor but remains a frontrunner for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. It’s on many a top 10 list, including the #2 spot on IndieWire’s own.
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