Paulina Gaitan, Edgar Flores in Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre (Focus Features)(top); The White Ribbon by Michael Haneke (Films du Losange / Sony Pictures Classics) (middle); Penelope Cruz in Pedro Almodóvar's Broken Embraces (Emilio Pereda & Paola Ardizzoni / El Deseo / Sony Pictures Classics) (bottom)
Sin Nombre, a Mexican-American co-production directed by Cary Fukunaga and featuring Stockholm Film Festival best actor winner Edgar Flores, has thus far been the US-critics' favorite foreign-language film of 2009, with six wins. Additionally, Fukunaga's drama about a Honduran family's dramatic trek north to the United States, has landed Critics Choice and Spirit Award nominations.
Michael Haneke's European Film Award winner The White Ribbon, about strange occurrences in a small German town shortly before the outbreak of World War I, has received top honors from only three critics' groups: New York Online, Toronto, and Chicago. I'd have thought this would have been the favorite this year, as it's gotten glowing reviews since its Cannes premiere (and Palme d'Or win) back in the spring. But US critics have mostly set their sites elsewhere. (Also, The White Ribbon opens this year in only select North American markets.)
Two of the most influential groups, those in New York (not online) and Los Angeles, have opted for Olivier Assayas' family drama Summer Hours, which pretty much came and went without causing much of a stir a while back despite the presence of Oscar winner Juliette Binoche.
Elsewhere, the vote has been split among various films from various countries, e.g., Jacques Audiard's French prison drama A Prophet, which will open in key US cities only in 2010; Pedro Almodóvar's film noir homage Broken Embraces, starring Penelope Cruz; and Paolo Sorrentino's Italian political satire Il Divo, winner of several David di Donatello awards (that's the Italian Oscar) some time ago.
How many of the films below have a shot at the 2010 Oscar? Not many. The only ones in the running — those submitted by their respective countries' committees (and not disqualified by the Academy because of some technicality or other) are: The White Ribbon, A Prophet, and Giuseppe Tornatore's Baaria.
The list below includes nearly all US-based critics groups (it'll be updated as more results are announced early next year), in addition to the Gotham and National Board of Review Awards, Golden Globe, Spirit Award, and SAG nominations, plus a handful of festival awards.
Sin Nombre – Washington, Houston, Florida, Indiana, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin, plus Critics Choice, Spirit (best picture) nominations
Summer Hours – National Society of Film Critics, Southeastern, New York, Los Angeles, Boston
The White Ribbon – Toronto, New York Online, Chicago, in addition to European Film Award, Cannes (Palme d'Or), plus Critics Choice, Golden Globe nominations
A Prophet – National Board of Review, Cannes (Grand Prix), plus Golden Globes, Spirit nominations
Red Cliff – St. Louis, Las Vegas, plus Critics Choice nomination
Broken Embraces – Satellite (tie), Phoenix, plus Critics Choice, Golden Globe nominations
The Maid – Satellite (tie), Sundance, plus Golden Globes, Spirit nominations
You, the Living – San Francisco
Il Divo – San Diego, David di Donatello (2008)
Coco Before Chanel – Oklahoma, plus Critics Choice nomination
Baaria – Golden Globe nomination
Thirst – Utah