My own ballot for Best Director follows:
His
script is familiar, but he knows how to deliver it in a new old
fashioned way. Starts with heightened burst-into-song fantasy, but
shrewdly shifts to reality when the bloom comes off the rose.
The way she frames and cuts
between interviewees representing opposing political perspectives
turns dry testimonial into vibrant debate. Sparingly uses graphics
and animation to great effect.
Employs a quasi-dreamlike quality
when needed through manipulation of sound and focus. That he wrangles
such a unified performance from a trio of actors who never saw each
other's footage is miraculous.
The way he puts his movies together
is mellifluous; Takes a snapshot of a time and place seemingly
overlooked by history but decidedly marked by images, poetry and
music that he carefully curates and embeds.
As always, his attention to tone
is impeccable. Keeps our sense of suspense rapt with desaturated
colours and ominous sound design. Finds visual motifs that enhance
the story's innate circularity.
Other considerations:
Garth Davis for Lion
Pablo Larrain for Jackie
Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea
Park Chan-wook for The Handmaiden
Martin Scorsese for Silence
