Epic immigrant drama “The Brutalist” and surreal narco-musical “Emilia Perez” are big winners at this year’s Golden Globes as prizes have been shared widely across an international crop of films.
“The Brutalist” was crowned best film, drama, at the year’s first major showbiz awards gala on Sunday, putting it on course to be a major contender at the Academy Awards. It also picked up best actor for Adrien Brody, who plays a Hungarian Holocaust survivor.
Meanwhile, French director Jacques Audiard’s Mexico-set “Emilia Perez” took four prizes, including best comedy or musical film.
“Emilia Perez”, about a drug lord who transitions to life as a woman, had entered the night with the most nominations at 10. It won for best non-English language film and best original song, while Zoe Saldana took best supporting actress honours, nudging out her co-star Selena Gomez.
“You can maybe put us in jail, you can beat us up, but you never can take away our soul, our resistance, our identity,” said Karla Sofia Gascon, the film’s star, who is transgender.
Big wins at the Globes can help movies earn new audiences and build vital momentum towards the Oscars in early March.
“The Brutalist”, which shrugged off concerns over its sprawling runtime, also earned best director for Brady Corbet.
“I was told that no one would come out and see it,” said Corbet, of his epic about a Jewish architect who survives Nazi persecution and emigrates to the United States.
“No one was asking for a three-and-a-half hour film about a mid-century designer … but it works,” he added.
Brazil’s Fernanda Torres won best actress in a drama film for “I’m Still Here”, which chronicles a family ripped apart by the country’s military dictatorship in the 1970s.
For best actor, Brody’s win was one of the night’s remarkable career comebacks, more than two decades after he became the youngest ever Oscar best actor winner for “The Pianist”, in which he also played a Holocaust survivor.
And there was another late-career triumph for Demi Moore, who won best actress in a comedy for body horror flick “The Substance”, which takes a satirical and often grotesque look at the pressures placed on women by society as they age.
Accepting her prize, Moore reflected on how decades ago, she had been told by a Hollywood producer that she was “a popcorn actress”.
Winners of the Globes are chosen by 334 entertainment journalists from 85 countries, compared with roughly 9,000 voters who select the Academy Awards.
The Globes voting body was expanded in recent years and organisers instituted reforms after being criticised for ethical lapses and a lack of diversity.
In TV categories at the 82nd awards ceremony, “Shogun”, FX’s historical epic set in imperial Japan, claimed the prestigious best drama television series trophy while “Hacks”, known for its complex female stand-up comedian, claimed the best comedy win.
A tale of political machinations, “Shogun”, also won best female and male acting awards for first-time winners Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada.
For the second time, Jean Smart won best lead actress in a comedy series for “Hacks”.
Other wins included Jeremy Allen White for “The Bear”, Jodie Foster for “True Detective” and Colin Farrell for his physical transformation in “The Penguin”.