‘The Zone of Interest' Named Best Film of 2023 by Los Angeles Film Critics

It took well over an hour for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association to select its top prize, but, in the end, Best Film went to Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest.”

‘Zone’ also won Glazer the Best Director prize and Sandra Hüller was named Best Lead Performance (alongside her work in “Anatomy of A Fall”). Mica Levi also won for Best Music/Score.

Oddly enough, ‘Zone’ is in German, but did not win “Best Film Not in the English Language” — that award instead went to Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of A Fall.” This was probably a case of the LAFCA attempting to spread the wealth, but they could have easily just given Best Film to runner-up “Oppenheimer” or “Poor Things,” the latter finished third in voting.

The LAFCA acting awards, which are now gender neutral, were also announced. Lead Performance had two winners, both female, the aforementioned Hüller and Emma Stone (“Poor Things”).

Best Supporting Performance was also won by a pair of women: Rachel McAdams (“Are You There God? it’s Me, Margaret” and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”).

This begs me to ask, if you’re going to make your acting categories gender neutral then why have two winners for each category?

Regardless, NBR and NYFCC winner, Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” was completely shut out here. So was Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” The LAFCA went their own unique direction today and shook things up.

Best Film: THE ZONE OF INTEREST

Best Film Not in the English Language: ANATOMY OF A FALL

Best Director: Jonathan Glazer for THE ZONE OF INTEREST

Best Lead Performance: Sandra Hüller, ANATOMY OF A FALL and THE ZONE OF INTEREST, and Emma Stone, POOR THINGS

Best Supporting Performance: Rachel McAdams, ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS

Best Documentary/Nonfiction Film: MENUS-PLAISIRS — LES TROISGROS

Best Screenplay: Andrew Haigh for ALL OF US STRANGERS

Best Animation: THE BOY AND THE HERON

Best Cinematography: Robbie Ryan, POOR THINGS

Best Editing: Laurent Sénéchal, ANATOMY OF A FALL

Best Music/Score: Mica Levi, THE ZONE OF INTEREST

Best Production Design: Sarah Greenwood, BARBIE

EARLIER: The 48th Los Angeles Film Critics Association winners will be announced shortly on their X handle. I’ll be updating this post whenever it happens …

If “Killers of the Flower Moon” wins another Best Film prize then I’m ready to join my colleague, Awards Daily’s Sasha Stone, in calling it the Oscar frontrunner. For the time being, my money’s still on “Oppenheimer” winning the Best Picture Oscar.