Precursor: 32nd Spirit Awards Nominations (2016)

There is a lot to take in with this set of nominees. Hell or High Water, one of the most acclaimed films of the early part of the year, misses out in the major categories, only earning nominations for Supporting Actor, Screenplay, and Editing. This pretty much assures us that it’s not nearly as much of an Oscar player as we thought. Other Oscar contenders that had good and bad days today are Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, and Jackie. Loving, like Hell or High Water took a major hit here. While Jeff Nichols was nominated (likely thanks to his major indie cred), the only other nomination for the film was for Ruth Negga. That’s not much to go on.

Other noteworthy snubs: Manchester by the Sea failed to earn a nomination for director Kenneth Lonergan, which could doom his Best Picture chances this year. Jackie surprisingly missed out on a screenwriting nomination and also missed out in Cinematography. Moonlight hit all the right notes in terms of nominations, which could catapult it into the Oscar conversation more than it already was.

Interesting thoughts: For three years straight, the Spirit Awards winner for Best Picture and Best Actress awards have won the Oscars. This may very well hold true for Best Picture this year with Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight two key contenders. The same can be said for Best Actress where Natalie Portman is one of the leading contenders. La La Land is the one film that could dash the Spirit’s chances in both categories.

Award Tallies

(6) American Honey, Moonlight
(5) Manchester by the Sea
(4) Free In Deed, Jackie, Other People
(3) Hell or High Water

The Awards

Best Feature

American Honey
Chronic
Jackie
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Best First Feature

The Childhood of a Leader
The Fits
Other People
Swiss Army Man
The Witch

John Cassavetes Award

Free In Deed
Hunter Gatherer
Lovesong
Nakom
Spa Night

Best Director

Andrea Arnold – American Honey
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Pablo Larrain – Jackie
Jeff Nichols – Loving
Kelly Reichardt – Certain Women

Best Female Lead

Annette Bening – 20th Century Women
Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Sasha Lane – American Honey
Ruth Negga – Loving
Natalie Portman – Jackie

Best Male Lead

Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea
David Harewood – Free In Deed
Viggo Mortensen – Captain Fantastic
Jesse Plemons – Other People
Tim Roth – Chronic

Best Supporting Female

Edwin Findley – Free In Deed
Paulina Garcia – Little Men
Lily Gladstone – Certain Women
Riley Keough – American Honey
Molly Shannon – Other People

Best Supporting Male

Ralph Fiennes – A Bigger Splash
Ben Foster – Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea
Shia LaBeouf – American Honey
Craig Robinson – Morris from America