‘Tár’ Named Best Picture by National Society of Film Critics

Tár was named best picture by the National Society of Film Critics in the group’s 57th annual vote Saturday.

The film notched a number of key wins from the critics group, as Cate Blanchett was awarded best actress for her titular role, while writer-director Todd Field prevailed for best screenplay. Also faring well was The Banshees of Inisherin, with Colin Farrell winning best actor for his performances in that and After Yang, while Banshees’ Kerry Condon was chosen as best supporting actress.

Charlotte Wells landed the best director prize for Aftersun. Additionally, Ke Huy Quan continued his awards-season momentum with a best supporting actor triumph for Everything Everywhere All at Once.

This follows Tár and Blanchett having been selected late last year as best picture and actress, respectively, by both the New York Film Critics Circle and Los Angeles Film Critics Association. (LAFCA honored Tár and Everything Everywhere All at Once in a tie for best picture.) Quan was named best supporting actor by both the NYFCC and LAFCA as well.

The National Society of Film Critics selected winners in the following categories: picture, director, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, screenplay, cinematography, film not in the English language and nonfiction film.

Last year, the group’s selection for best picture was director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, which went on to win the Oscar for best international feature film. Among the organization’s other notable picks from 2021 releases, Drive My Car’s Hidetoshi Nishijima won for best actor, while Parallel Mothers’ Penélope Cruz was chosen as best actress.

Winners were announced Saturday via its official Twitter account. The complete winners list is below.

Best picture: Tár
Runners-up: Aftersun
No Bears

Best director: Charlotte Wells, Aftersun
Runners-up: Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave
Jafar Panahi, No Bears

Best actor: Colin Farrell, After Yang and The Banshees of Inisherin
Runners-up: Paul Mescal, Aftersun
Bill Nighy, Living

Best actress: Cate Blanchett, Tár
Runners-up: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Tilda Swinton, The Eternal Daughter, and Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans

Best supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Runners-up: Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway
Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin

Best supporting actress: Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin
Runners-up: Nina Hoss, Tár
Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness

Best screenplay: Todd Field, Tár
Runners-up: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin
James Gray, Armageddon Time

Best cinematography: Michał Dymek, EO
Runners-up: Hoyte van Hoytema, Nope
Kim Ji-yong, Decision to Leave

Best film not in the English language: EO
Runners-up: No Bears
Decision to Leave

Best nonfiction film: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Runners-up: Descendant
All That Breathes