NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� In a surprise that stunned the audience of Hollywood鈥檚 first big awards-season bash, 鈥淎 Different Man,鈥� a dark comedy about doppelg盲ngers, deformity and authenticity in acting, won best feature film at the 34th Gotham Awards on Monday night.
Much can be unpredictable at the Gotham Awards, which uses small juries of insiders and film industry veterans to pick nominees and winners. But as the 鈥淎 Different Man鈥� ensemble, including Sebastian Stan and Adam Pearson, took the stage, writer-director Aaron Schimberg was obviously in disbelief.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 not the only person in this room who's totally stunned," said Schimberg. 鈥淐onsidering the other nominees, I thought it would be hubris to prepare a speech."
At a starry Gothams that drew Zendaya, Timoth茅e Chalamet and Angelina Jolie, most were expecting triumph for Sean Baker鈥檚 鈥淎nora,鈥� a comedy about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch. It came in the lead nominee, the Cannes Palme d鈥橭r winner, and maybe top best-picture contender at the Oscars, but went home emptyhanded.
Instead, the night belonged to the A24 release 鈥淎 Different Man,鈥� which stars Stan as a man with facial deformities who's healed of them. He's then upstaged by the character played by Pearson, who genuinely has neurofibromatosis, a condition that covers much of his face with benign skin tumors.
The Gothams aren鈥檛 an Oscar bellwether, though several of its recent top winners 鈥� including last year's winner 鈥淧ast Lives,鈥� as well as 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥� and 鈥淣omadland鈥� 鈥� have gone on to be nominated for best picture, with 鈥淓verything Everywhere鈥� and 鈥淣omadland鈥� winning.
Whether any of the winners Monday night 鈥� 鈥淪ing Sing鈥� and 鈥淣ickel Boys鈥� were also victorious 鈥� will use the early wins as a springboard for more trophies remains to be seen. But the Gothams, a black-tie affair held at Cipriani Wall Street in downtown Manhattan, tend give some sense of the flavor of the upcoming gauntlet of award-season ceremonies.
How prominent politics, and the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, might be in this year鈥檚 Oscar race is one of the biggest questions as the season ramps up. On Monday, Trump's name was never uttered on stage, nor were there any overtly political statements. But several winner seemed to allude to the shifting political climate.
鈥淟et's keep doing the work that really matters and makes a difference,鈥� said Colman Domingo, who won best lead performance. 鈥淭hat's what we can do right now. That can be the light in the darkness.鈥�
Domingo won for his starring role in 鈥淪ing Sing,鈥� the indie drama about a real prison program called Rehabilitation Through the Arts, which helps incarcerated people heal through theater productions. Clarence Maclin, one of the formerly incarcerated men who co-star in the film, won best supporting performance. (The Gothams give gender-neutral acting awards that number 10 nominees instead of the typical five.)
鈥淚f someone was going to tell me ten years ago, I was going to be here, I wouldn鈥檛 have believed it,鈥� said Maclin.
鈥淪ing Sing,鈥� also from A24, was arguably the emotional winner of the night. The film's ensembled also accepted a tribute award. In one of the evening's most powerful speeches Sean Dino Johnson, a founding member of RTA, spoke passionately about the redemptive qualities of the arts.
鈥淪tanding here tonight we are proof that movies like 鈥楽ing Sing鈥� don鈥檛 just entertain,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淭hey change lives.鈥�
RaMell Ross' 鈥淣ickel Boys," his arrestingly photographed Colson Whitehead adaptation, also won two major awards: best diretor for Ross and breakthrough performer for Brandon Wilson. Ross鈥� film, about two Black teenagers at an abusive juvenile reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida, is filmed largely from the first-person perspective of its two main characters.
For many, the Gothams are a chance to make an impression with a speech that helps solidify their awards chances. To that cause, the Gothams gave out an array of tribute awards. This year鈥檚 crop was particularly starry, including Zendaya (for 鈥淐hallengers鈥�), Jolie (for 鈥淢aria鈥�), Chalamet and James Mangold (for 鈥淎 Complete Unknown鈥�), Denis Villeneuve (for 鈥淒une: Part Two鈥�), and Franklin Leonard, founder of the fabled unproduced screenplay platform The Black List.
Jolie, who plays the opera singer Maria Callas in 鈥淢aria,鈥� also spoke about the importance of the arts.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so important that art be taught in our schools, and so concerning that is being reduced,鈥� Jolie said.
Zendaya, honored for her performance in Luca Guadagnino's 鈥淐hallengers,鈥� took a moment to thank her date. 鈥淢y mom's here tonight," she said. 鈥淪hout out mom.鈥�
Chalamet read a short speech about his transformation into Bob Dylan for the upcoming 鈥淎 Complete Unknown.鈥�
鈥淕etting to study and immerse myself in the world of Bob Dylan has been the greatest education a young artist can receive," Chalamet said. "If you're already a fan of Bob Dylan, this will make perfect sense to you. If you're not familiar with his work, perhaps our film can serve as a humble gateway to one of the great poets and chroniclers of our times.鈥�
Best documentary went to 鈥淣o Other Land,鈥� a film made by a Palestinian and Israeli filmmaker collective that documents Israeli occupation of a Palestinian village in West Bank over the course of years. Despite being one of the year鈥檚 most acclaimed documentaries, 鈥淣o Other Land鈥� remains without an American distributor.
Payal Kapadia鈥檚 鈥淎ll We Imagine as Light,鈥� a poetic drama about three women in modern Mumbai, took the award for best international film. Though the film was the first Indian movie in competition at the Cannes Film Festival this year, India opted not to select it for its Oscar submission.
The award for breakthrough director went to Vera Drew for 鈥淭he People's Joker,鈥� a superhero parody about gender identity. Drew thanked Warner Bros. 鈥渇or not suing me鈥� and Nicole Kidman, an attendee, because, Drew said, 鈥�'Batman Forever' is when I realized I was trans.鈥�
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
