"Roma" The Big Winner Among Chicago Film Critics

“Roma,” Alfonso Cuaron’s autobiographical story of a year in the life of a family living in Mexico City in the 1970s seen primarily through the eyes of one of their servants, was named the Best Picture of 2018 by the members of the Chicago Film Critics Association at a ceremony held tonight. The film, which received the most nominations from the group with nine, won a total of five awards including the Foreign Film prize and three awards for Cuaron himself for Director, Cinematography and Editing, the latter shared with co-editor Adam Gough.

Four different movies tied for second place in the award count with two prizes each. “The Favourite,” the outrageous comedy-drama about two antagonistic cousins battling for the favor of Queen Anne earned Olivia Colman the Supporting Actress prize for her performance as the queen as well as the award for Art Direction/Set Direction. “First Reformed,” Paul Schrader’s powerful drama about a minister whose increasingly bleak view of the world drives him to the brink of despair earned Schrader the Original Screenplay award and Ethan Hawke was named Best Actor. “Hereditary,” the terrifying horror story depicting a ordinary family destroyed by mysterious forces, won awards for Toni Collette for Best Actress and Ari Aster for Most Promising Filmmaker. “If Beale Street Could Talk,” the film version of the celebrated James Baldwin novel, won the Adapted Screenplay award for Barry Jenkins as well as the Original Score prize for Nicholas Britell.

Among the other winners, Richard E. Grant was named Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” “Minding the Gap,” the powerful story of three young men in Rockford, IL who turn to skateboarding and each other as a way of dealing with the troubles in their own lives, won the Best Documentary award. Elsie Fisher, the heartbreaking center of the comedy-drama “Eighth Grade,” received the Most Promising Performer prize. The delightful “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” won the Animated Feature award. The newly instituted award for Best Use of Visual Effects went to the mind-blowing sci-fi drama “Annihilation.”

2018 Chicago Film Critics Association Winners

Best Picture: Roma

Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron (-) Roma

Best Actor: Ethan Hawke (-) First Reformed

Best Actress: Toni Collette (-) Hereditary

Best Supporting Actor: Richard E. Grant (-) Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Best Supporting Actress: Olivia Colman (-) The Favourite

Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader (-) First Reformed

Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins (-) If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Foreign Film: Roma

Best Documentary: Minding the Gap

Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Cinematography: Roma (-) Alfonso Cuaron

Best Editing: Roma (-) Alfonso Cuaron & Adam Gough

Best Art Direction/Production Design: The Favourite

Best Original Score: If Beale Street Could Talk (-) Nicholas Britell

Best Use of Visual Effects: Annihilation

Most Promising Filmmaker: Ari Aster (-) Hereditary

Most Promising Performer: Elsie Fisher (-) Eighth Grade

By The Numbers:

5 Awards: Roma

2 Awards: The Favourite, First Reformed, Hereditary, If Beale Street Could Talk.

1 Award: Annihilation, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Eighth Grade, Minding the Gap, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse