Oscars: Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ Wins Boston Critics, Challenges PTA for Best Picture?

The Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) has crowned Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” as the Best Film of 2025, handing the filmmaker an especially strong showing with additional wins for Best Director, Cinematography, and Score.

It’s a dominant performance that immediately cements “Sinners” among the season’s major awards contenders.

Most of the so-called awards season “experts” will tell you that Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” is the current frontrunner to win the Oscar for Best Picture, but as with any year, momentum can change in an instant, and although PTA’s film is the clear critical darling of 2025, that doesn’t always translate to an automatic Oscar win.

With that in mind, and with the acceptance that PTA’s film is in the lead, what’s the film with the best chance at an upset? It’s looking clearer by the day that Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” will be the main rival, and although “One Battle After Another” keeps winning critics’ awards and topping every poll so far, “Sinners” is not going down without a fight.

In fact, on Gold Derby’s rankings, combining the votes of users, experts, and the site’s editors, “Sinners” is actually ahead of PTA’s film.

Back to the Boston critics, the acting races were all won by this season’s usual suspects: Rose Byrne took Best Actress for her work in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” while Ethan Hawke won Best Actor for “Blue Moon.” Supporting honors went to Amy Madigan (“Weapons”) and Stellan Skarsgård (“Sentimental Value”).

See the full list of winners below —

Best Film: “Sinners”
Best Director: Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
Best Actress: Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Best Supporting Actor: Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, “Weapons”
Best Ensemble: “Marty Supreme”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “One Battle After Another” (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Best Original Screenplay: “Blue Moon” (Robert Kaplow)
Best Editing: “F1” (Stephen Mirrione)
Best Cinematography: “Sinners” (Autumn Durald Arkapaw)
Best Score: “Sinners” (Ludwig Göransson)
Best Animated Film: “Endless Cookie”
Best Documentary: “Afternoons in Solitude”
Best Non-English Language Film: “Sentimental Value”
Best New Filmmaker: Eva Victor for “Sorry, Baby”
Best in Show (Best Animal Performance): Indy, “Good Boy”