The Toronto Film Critics Association has named Drive My Car the best film of 2021.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s intimate study about the connection that forms between a recently widowed theatre legend and the younger woman working as his driver – reviewed here – also won the TFCA’s best screenplay and best international film prizes. Domestic distributor Films We Like plans to reopen the movie in theatres as soon as COVID-19 restrictions lift.
Jane Campion was named best director for The Power Of The Dog, which was also a contender for picture, screenplay, actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), supporting actress (Kirsten Dunst) and supporting actor (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s drama The Lost Daughter (reviewed here) picked up three awards as well: Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley were named best actress and best supporting actress for their performances as the older and younger versions of the film’s disaffected protagonist, an academic drawn to a young mother while on holiday in the Greek islands; and writer/director Gyllenhaal won the TFCA’s best first feature prize for the film. (It’s the first time the association has honoured two actors for playing the same character in the same project, which is kind of a nifty detail.)
Denzel Washington was named best actor for his stark turn in Joel Coen’s The Tragedy Of Macbeth, while Bradley Cooper won best supporting actor for his role as the outsized Jon Peters in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza. The Allan King documentary prize was awarded to Summer Of Soul, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s celebration of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, while another documentary – Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s refugee story Flee (reviewed here) – was named best animated feature.
The TFCA also named the finalists for the Rogers best Canadian film award: Tracey Deer’s autobiographical Oka drama Beans, Danis Goulet’s Indigenous sci-fi thriller Night Raiders and Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson’s adaptation of Catherine Hernandez’s Scarborough are this year’s nominees for the award, which carries a cash prize of $100,000 for the winning filmmaker. The runners-up will each receive $5,000.
Formed in 1997, the Toronto Film Critics Association is composed of print, broadcast and online film writers based in the city. (Full disclosure: I am a voting member of the TFCA, as are NOW critics Glenn Sumi and Radheyan Simonpillai.)
The TFCA plans to celebrate its winners – and announce the best Canadian film – at an awards gala in March.
The full list of 2022 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards winners and runners-up:
BEST PICTURE
WINNER
Drive My Car (Films We Like)
RUNNERS-UP
Licorice Pizza (Universal Pictures Canada)
The Power Of The Dog (Netflix)
BEST DIRECTOR
WINNER
Jane Campion, The Power Of The Dog
RUNNERS-UP
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car
Denis Villeneuve, Dune
BEST ACTRESS
WINNER
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
RUNNERS-UP
Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Kristen Stewart, Spencer
BEST ACTOR
WINNER
Denzel Washington, The Tragedy Of Macbeth
RUNNERS-UP
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power Of The Dog
Andrew Garfield, tick, tick … BOOM!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
WINNER
Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
RUNNERS-UP
Kirsten Dunst, The Power Of The Dog
Ruth Negga, Passing
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
WINNER
Bradley Cooper, Licorice Pizza
RUNNERS-UP
Ciaran Hinds, Belfast
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power Of The Dog
BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED OR ORIGINAL
WINNER
Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe
based on the story by Haruki Murakami
RUNNERS-UP
Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson
The Power Of The Dog, Jane Campion
based on the novel by Thomas Savage
BEST FIRST FEATURE
WINNER
The Lost Daughter
directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
RUNNERS-UP
Passing
directed by Rebecca Hall
Pig
directed by Michael Sarnoski
Shiva Baby
directed by Emma Seligman
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
WINNER
Flee
RUNNERS-UP
Encanto
The Mitchells Vs. The Machines
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
WINNER
Drive My Car
RUNNERS-UP
Petite Maman
The Worst Person In The World
ALLAN KING BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD
WINNER
Summer Of Soul
RUNNERS-UP
Flee
The Velvet Underground
ROGERS BEST CANADIAN FILM AWARD FINALISTS
Beans
Night Raiders
Scarborough
