41st Spirit Award Nominations

There was a time when the Spirit Awards were as far removed from the Oscar nominations as anything. In recent years, as the Academy has become more cognizant of indie work, that connection has merged. This year’s list is pretty far removed from the trend and reverts to its obscure selections bolstered by a handful of potential Oscar contenders. Train Dreams and If I had Legs I’d Kick You are the only two titles recognized here (outside of the international feature category) that seem likely to translate to Oscar nominations. The rest are out of left field. The most surprising selections to me were the myriad nominations for One of Them Days and the shocking selection of The Long Walk for the Robert Altman award (for ensemble performance). Everything else seems pretty standard for this group.

Nominations Tallies

(5) Peter Hujar’s Day
(4) Blue Sun Palace, Lurker, One of Them Days, Sorry, Baby, Train Dreams
(3) The Plague, Twinless
(2) The Baltimorons, Dust Bunny, East of Wall, Eephus, Familiar Touch, Hedda, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, A Little Prayer, Lucky Lu, Sovereign, Splitsville, Warfare
(1) All That’s Left of You, Boys Go to Jupiter, Come See Me in the Good Light, Endless Cookie, Esta Island (This Island), Friendship, Good Boy, The Long Walk, My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow, Nouvelle Vague, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Outerlands, The Perfect Neighbor, A Poet, Rebuilding, Roofman, The Secret Agent, She’s the He, Sirāt, The Tale of Silyan, The Testament of Ann Lee

The Nominations

Best Feature

Peter Hujar’s Day
The Plague
Sorry, Baby
Train Dreams
Twinless

Best Director

Clint Bentley – Train Dreams
Mary Bronstein – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Lloyd Lee Choi – Lucky Lu
Ira Sachs – Peter Hujar’s Day
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby

Best Lead Performance

Everett Blunck – The Plague
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kathleen Chalfant – Familiar Touch
Chang Chen – Lucky Lu
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Dylan O’Brien – Twinless
Keke Palmer – One of Them Days
Théodore Pellerin – Lurker
Tessa Thompson – Hedda
Ben Whishaw – Peter Hujar’s Day

Best Supporting Performance

Naomi Ackie – Sorry, Baby
Zoey Deutch – Nouvelle Vague
Kirsten Dunst – Roofman
Rebecca Hall – Peter Hujar’s Day
Nina Hoss – Hedda
Jane Levy – A Little Prayer
Archie Madekwe – Lurker
Kali Reis – Rebuilding
Jacob Tremblay – Sovereign
Haiepng Xu – Blue Sun Palace