Boston Society of Film Critics honors ‘The Holdovers’ and others at its 44th annual vote on the year’s top films.
Dominic Sessa and Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in director Alexander Payne’s 'The Holdovers."
Dominic Sessa and Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in director Alexander Payne’s ‘The Holdovers.” (Seacia Pavao/Focus Features)

Alexander Payne’s shot-in-Massachusetts drama “The Holdovers” was the hometown favorite, earning four awards, including best picture, from the Boston Society of Film Critics at its 44th annual vote on the year’s top films.

Set in 1970 at a Massachusetts boarding school, “The Holdovers” tells the story of three lonely souls stuck together on campus during Christmas break. The movie also earned nods for best supporting actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph as the school’s head cook who has just lost a son in Vietnam and best actor for Paul Giamatti, playing a curmudgeonly humanities teacher, and best original screenplay for David Hemingson.

Scenes for “The Holdovers” were shot in and around Boston, including Fairhaven High School, St. Marks School in Southborough, Chateau restaurant in Waltham, Continental restaurant in Saugus, Orpheum Theater, Faneuil Hall, Wakefield Bowladrome, Somerville Theater in Davis Square, Clinton Hospital and Strand Center for the Arts in Clinton and the Worcester Common. The movie is still in theaters and is also available to rent via video on demand. 

Writer-director Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” also had a solid showing. Glazer narrowly edged out Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”) for best director honors for his unnerving Auschwitz-set drama, which follows the homelife of Nazi Commandant Rudolf Höss. The film was also selected as the best non-English language film and best-adapted screenplay. “The Zone of Interest” will open in Boston theaters in January. 

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” coming to theaters Oct. 20 and then streaming at a later date on Apple TV+.
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Thelma Schoonmaker nabbed a win for Martin Scorsese’s epic 3½-hour-plus “Killers of the Flower Moon,” collecting the editing prize after two rounds of voting. Late singer-songwriter Robbie Robertson earned the best original score award for his final work composing the film’s unforgettable music. 

Matt Damon as Gen. Leslie Groves, left, and Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in a scene from "Oppenheimer."
Matt Damon as Gen. Leslie Groves, left, and Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in a scene from “Oppenheimer.” (Universal Pictures)

It took the critics group three rounds of voting to settle the best ensemble category, which ended with the cast of “Oppenheimer”: Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Boston’s Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Jason Clarke, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh, Olivia Thirlby, Matthew Modine, and Alden Ehrenreich.

In the other acting categories, Ryan Gosling’s performance in “Barbie” was a Kenough to take home the supporting actor prize. “Barbie” hits  Max on Dec. 15. Best actress honors went to Lily Gladstone for her stoic work in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ryan Gosling and Ncuti Gatwa in a scene from "Barbie."
Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ryan Gosling and Ncuti Gatwa in a scene from “Barbie.” (Warner Bros. Pictures).

The critics group spread its honors around in other categories. Jonathan Ricquebourg earned best cinematography for the French culinary drama “The Taste of Things,” a celebration of love and the art of cooking.  Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” easily nabbed the best animated film category. Jacquelyn Mills’s “Geographies of Solitude” won best documentary, topping “20 Days in Mariupol” on the third ballot. The winner for best new filmmaker was Celine Song for “Past Lives,” an elegant look at love, culture, and bad timing. 

The Boston Society of Film Critics comprises 25 local critics, including writers from Boston Movie News, The Boston Herald, Ty Burr’s Watch List and The Arts Fuse, The Hollywood Reporter, Boston Hassle, Reeling Reviews, and the Cape Cod Wave.

The 2023 winners:

Best Film – “The Holdovers”

Best Actor – Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”

Best Actress – Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Best Supporting Actor – Ryan Gosling, “Barbie“

Best Supporting Actress – Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”

Best Director – Jonathan Glazer, “The Zone of Interest”

Best Original Screenplay – David Hemingson, “The Holdovers”

Best Adapted Screenplay – Jonathan Glazer, “The Zone of Interest”

Best Cinematography – Jonathan Ricquebourg, “The Taste of Things”

Best Documentary (awarded in memory of Lucia Small) – “Geographies of Solitude”

Best Animated Film – “The Boy and the Heron”

Best Film Editing (awarded in memory of Karen Schmeer) – Thelma Schoonmaker,  “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Best New Filmmaker (awarded in memory of David Brudnoy) – Celine Song, “Past Lives”

Best Ensemble Cast – “Oppenheimer”

Best Original Score – Robbie Robertson, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Best Non-English Language Film – “The Zone of Interest”