On January 6, local time, the 2023 National Society of Film Critics Awards (National Society of Film Critics) were announced. The most important Best Picture Award was won by "The Past", "May December" and "Interest Zone" 》 received two awards respectively.

"Past Life" poster

"A Life in the Past" is the first feature film by Korean-American director Celine Song. It tells the story of a pair of childhood sweethearts who were separated in childhood and reunited in New York twenty years later. The film is undoubtedly one of the most popular works during the awards season. It has repeatedly won and been shortlisted for many awards before, but most of them were recognized in the field of first feature films. This time it directly defeated strong rivals such as "Killers of the Flower Moon" , it is still a bit surprising to win the Best Picture Award, which indicates that "A Past Life" may go further in this awards season. On the other hand, this has something to do with the voting mechanism of the National Society of Film Critics Awards.

The National Society of Film Critics, founded in 1966, currently has more than 60 members spread across the United States. Its annual awards include Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, etc. Any work released in the United States or available on streaming media in the United States that year is eligible to participate.

The voting mechanism of this award is similar to that of the Oscars. Members select the top three works they think are the best in a secret form. The first place is worth 3 points, the second place is worth 2 points, and the third place is worth 1 point. The one with the most entries wins. If no work wins the first round of voting, a second round will be held until the work with the highest score is produced. In other words, the final winner may not be the Top 1 in the minds of the most people, but it is definitely the work recognized as the least annoying.

In addition to the regular awards this year, the National Society of Film Critics also specifically recognized streaming platforms Criterion Channel, Facets, Scarecrow Video, Vidiots, and New York's legendary video store Kim's Video for their extensive collection of classic and independent films. .

"May December" poster

Winners list:

Best Picture: "My Life"

Best Director: Jonathan Glazer, "Zone of Interest"

Best Screenplay: "May-December"

Best Actor: Andrew Scott, "We Are Strangers"

Best Actress: Sandra Wheeler, "Falling Judgment", "Profit Zone"

Best Supporting Actor: Charles Melton, "May December"

Best Supporting Actress: Damien Joy Randolph, "Stay in School"

Best Cinematography: "Killers of the Flower Moon"

Best Foreign Language Film: "Dead Leaves"

Best Nonfiction: "Troisgro"