Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon, writers – “The Big Sick”
Not to ignore Nanjiani’s endearing performance opposite Zoe Kazan in Michael Showalter‘s “The Big Sick,” but the “Silicon Valley” actor and comedian has been a favorite for a while now and so the new news here is his screenwriting abilities, along with those of his wife Emily Gordon. The surprise sleeper hit was based on their own relationship, right down to a health scare they also experienced, which perhaps accounts for the warmth and offbeat insight that has gone into the characterizations (and that provided Ray Romano and Holly Hunter with such memorable supporting roles). It remains to be seen if Nanjiani and Gordon will want to turn their hands to a less personal writing project next, but there can be no doubt they’re much in demand now after spinning this small-scale Sundance dramedy into the third-biggest indie hit of the year (only behind the much more mainstream “Bad Moms Christmas” and shark movie “47 Meters Down” if you’re interested).
Rungano Nyoni, writer, director – “I Am Not a Witch”
Zambian-Welsh first-time director Nyoni had the unusual distinction of being among the most buzzed about filmmakers in Cannes this year, even before her Directors Fortnight movie had screened. And then it did screen, and proved all the advance noise was merited: “I Am Not a Witch” is a little uneven in tone, but even its flaws are impressive, indicating a surfeit of strong, intricate ideas, attacked with an almost dangerous sense of filmmaking exuberance. Couched in DP David Gallego‘s gorgeous cinematography, it’s the story of a little girl (terrific, truculent newcomer Margaret Mulubwa) denounced as a witch in a Zambian village and sent into exile in a “witch camp,” where she attempts to negotiate gawking tourists, corrupt officials and even occasionaly sisterly solidairy with the other “witches” all under threat of being turned into a goat if she tries to escape her fate. There’s so much to unpack here it could easily have made two or three films, but what it really indicates is that there is so much more to come from Nyoni, who has stories, as well as sheer attitude, to burn.
Josh O’Connor, actor – “God’s Own Country”
There’s no false note struck anywhere in Francis Lee‘s “God’s Own Country,” but if breakout status is all about career transformation, it’s only fitting that lead Josh O’Connor is the standard bearer for the film’s excellent cast here. Playing beautifully against Romanian actor Alec Secareanu (who will surely also get a deserved boost from his quiet, watchful, powerful turn here) O’Connor’s Johnny undergoes such a thorough and beautifully earned yet unexpected arc of change that it almost seems to manifest itself physically by the end. O’Connor has had recurring slots on British TV shows “Peaky Blinders” and “Ripper Street” before now, but if there’s any justice, “God’s Own Country” should see his movie career take off into the stratosphere: he’s the rare kind of deeply humane and empathetic actor who can completely disappear into a role, while creating a character who is anything but invisible, and whose story lingers long after the credits have rolled.
Oneohtrixpoint Never, composer – “Good Time”
There is so much that’s fresh about Josh and Benny Safdie‘s “Good Time” — the dizzy cinematography, propulsive cutting, revelatory Robert Pattinson performance — that perhaps it’s counter-intuitive to just isolate the score here. But for a film defined by its paciness, by how it speeds up to an almost impossible frenetic, kinetic pitch and yet never loses its heart, its music is peculiarly important and the score from Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never must surely have him suddenly right at the top of every hip new filmmakers’ collaboration wishlist. Lopatin is not wholly a newcomer — he’s done high profile work for Sofia Coppola on “The Bling Ring” and delivered an eerie score for “Partisan” that was memorable for all five people who saw that movie. But his variegated, exciting work on “Good Time,” that can move in a breath from a high-octane thrum to the scratchily mournful closing ballad with Iggy Pop is truly the kind of breakout that makes a career, and ensures we’ll be hearing a great deal more from him in the future.
Jordan Peele, writer, director – “Get Out”
As a writer and a performer, Jordan Peele broke out a long time ago, notably on the TV comedy sketch show he created alongside Keegan Michael Key. But as high as expectations were for his directorial debut, no one could really have expected something as epochal as “Get Out” which has been in the world for less than a year yet is already one of the most instantly iconic, gif-able, meme-able films in recent memory. And that’s not to sell it short: the genius of “Get Out” is how bullseye relevant it feels to contemporary America, not just on a macro level where one can admire the audacity of casting a post-Obama race-relations satire as an all-out horror movie (and also wonder why the hell no one thought of doing something similar before), but also in the micro details of awkward meet-the-parents encounters and the tyranny of white, middle-class social graces. It’s been a remarkable year for first-time directors, but perhaps no other debut title has had quite the punchy impact of “Get Out” (not to mention the stellar box office) and no matter where Peele lands his next director’s gig, whether another social issues thriller (he hinted recently he had no fewer than four others percolating) or in being handed the reins to a much bigger gig (because “Get Out” is so confidently made you can easily imagine studios scrambling to sign him up for their franchises) we’ll be first in line.
