Golden Globe Awards: results and predictions

Best Drama Film and Best Director

This year, two major awards were deservedly given to Steven Spielberg for his autobiographical story “The Fabelmans”. The Covid-19 period prompted the director to write his memoirs, and now Spielberg’s formative years as a film director can be seen on the big screen.

Fabelmans is a film about how childhood traumas can affect and how one such vivid experience can shape the rest of one’s life.

Best Musical/Comedy, Best Screenplay and Best Comedy Actor

“The Banshees of Inisherin” received three nominations at once. Audiences and film critics were already praising the film at the Venice Film Festival, when the premiere, which lasted only 13 minutes, was followed by standing ovation of nearly the same length.

Director Martin McDonagh has created a comedy that is more bitter and lonely than outright laughter and humour. The film tells a story of an argument between two friends living on the island of Ireland during the Anglo-Irish War. The conflict between old friends is played by Colin Farrell (winner of the award for Best Comedy Actor) and Brendan Gleeson. The emotionally dynamic duo may also be seen in the director’s previous film – “In Bruges”.

Best Comedy/Musical Actress and Best Supporting Actor

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” received two nominations. Migrant couple Evelyn and Waymond Wong, portrayed by Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan (also award winners), find themselves at the centre of a multidimensional scuffle. In this sci-fi action film, directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert change the audience’s perception of superheroes: the fate of the entire world is concentrated in the hands of an ordinary laundry owner. Michelle Yeoh becomes the first Malaysian actress to receive a Golden Globe nomination. It should also be noted that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” became the highest grossing film ever made by the independent studio A24 and has already been nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA.

Best Drama Actor

This category went to Austin Butler, who played the main character in the Elvis biopic. Ten years after “The Great Gatsby”, director Baz Luhrmann has achieved commercial success with the second highest grossing biopic in cinema history after Bohemian Rhapsody. However, unlike Rami Malek, who played Freddie Mercury, actor Austin Butler performed Elvis hits in the film. His main rivals for the nomination were Hugh Jackman (The Son) and Brendan Fraser in “The Whale”, which caused a sensation at the Venice Film Festival.

Best Actress in a Drama

Cate Blanchett won the Best Drama Actress award for her role as a fictional symphony orchestra conductor in TÁR. She even learned to conduct, play the piano and speak German in order to portray her character as authentically as possible. For two and a half hours, the film delves into the world of music, where artists live in wild tension and competition with each other. In doing so, director Todd Field shows how intoxicating power can be and how difficult it is to stop its abuse when a woman succeeds in a male-dominated world.

Best Supporting Actress

For the first time, a Marvel Cinematic Universe film has won the Golden Globe Awards in the same category. Angela Bassett won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the sequel to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She dedicated her nomination to the late Chadwick Boseman, who starred in the first Black Panther film. The comic book sequel was therefore a heartbreaking farewell to the superhero T’Challa.

A film about a fictional African country is hailed as one of the most feminist blockbusters in cinema. This is not only because of the social issues, but also because the screen is dominated by mostly female characters.

Best Foreign Language Film

The nomination of “Argentina, 1985” for the Golden Globe Award came as a surprise. This film managed to win over its seemingly more popular and successful rivals: the German war film “All Quiet on the Western Front” and the Indian historical epic “RRR”, which incidentally won a Golden Globe in the Best Original Song category. Argentinian film tells the story of a lawyer and a prosecutor who sue the authorities, accusing them of crimes against the country’s citizens.

Best Animated Film

Guillermo del Toro’s animated film Pinocchio presents his take on the famous story of the wooden boy. Pinocchio’s adventures are dark and heavy – as usual for the director. In addition to the visuals, film has delighted its audience all over the world and won awards for Best Film and Best Soundtrack at various film festivals. However, Pinocchio did not win the Golden Globe in these categories.

Best Original Soundtrack

“Babylon” is a story about the arrival of sound in Hollywood – an event that changed the entire film industry. In four nominations, Damien Chazelle’s film won only one – for the work of composer Justin Gurwitz, best known for “La La Land” and “Obsession”. Sound design is no less important in a film about the decline of silent cinema. Babylon pays great attention to the variety of noises and music on the screen, making this film a kind of sonic entertainment.

Top TV awards

Best Dramatic TV Series

As expected, the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, was named Best Drama Series at the Golden Globes. Series set a viewing record with its very first episode, attracting the largest audience in HBO history. The spin-off did not disappoint with both plot twists and spicy scenes.

Best comedy series

“Abbott Elementary” is the only TV series to win three awards at the Golden Globes 2023. In addition to the award for Best Comedy Series, the feature also won Best Actress (Quinta Brunson) and Best Supporting Actor (Tyler James Williams). The series is shot in the mockumentary genre and tells the story of the fun and hard days of American teachers in a public school. Immediately after winning the Globe Awards, ABC officially announced the renewal of Abbott Elementary School for a third season.

Best TV series/mini-series

“White Lotus” is a satire of privileged white America that has captivated audiences and critics alike since its very first season. Last year, the series won five out of 11 Emmy nominations and only one Golden Globe nomination. This year, White Lotus has already won the award for Best TV Series. Director Mike White has chosen a charismatic ensemble of actors and actresses who are able to portray ambiguous rich people on screen, evoking both cold sweat of shame and human sympathy.