Craftsmen: 2011's Best Technical Achievements

Honourable Mentions
Costume Design and Visual Effects of Immortals, Cinematography of Jane Eyre, Production Design of Pa Negre, Editing of Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Production Design of Hugo

12. The effects team behind the Visual Effect of Attack the Block

For compensating for the tight budget with creativity, for creating memorable monsters, and for serving the story without being gimmicky

11. Jacqueline Durran for the Costume Design of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

(also noteworthy: Production Design)
For understanding the intricacy of men’s clothing, for building character from the threads, for conveying the different classes of MI6 agents, and for working beautifully in tandem with the production design team

10. Dana Glauberman for the Editing of Young Adult

For the impeccable comic timing, and for perfectly balancing the laughs with the drama

9. Udo Kramer and Bernhard Henrich for the Production Design of Chicken with Plums

(also noteworthy: Costume Design)
For nailing every aspect of the period in Iran without losing the directors’ playful vision, for using colours and shadows to perfection, and for the broken violin

8. Alberto Iglesias for the Original Score of The Skin I Live In

(also noteworthy: Production Design)
For the thrill in every pulsating moment, for working within the atmosphere to create mood, for the range, and for continuing his collaboration with one of the world’s most exciting directors

7. Robbie Ryan for the Cinematography of Wuthering Heights

For capturing the beauty of a butterfly on the ledge of a window and the mane of a horse in the field, for the intimacy, and for shaping the story with image

6. Hayedeh Safiyari for the Editing of A Separation

For creating a maze without getting lost, for taking the audience right to the edge of discovery and pulling back, and for shaping the narrative and visual structure of the film through her cuts

5. Emmanuel Lubezki for the Cinematography of Tree of Life

(also noteworthy: Visual Effects)
For the picturesque imagery, for capturing the intimacy of a mother’s affection for his son with as much mastery as he does the grandiosity of genesis, and for giving us thousands of postcard perfect images

4. Matthew Newman for the Editing of Drive

(also noteworthy: Costume Design)
For heightening our tension, for releasing that tension with explosive bursts of violence, and for allowing the subtleties of the performances and Gosling’s cool charisma to sink in

3. Gokhan Tiryaki for the Cinematography of Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

For endlessly broadening his range with a limited palette, for continuing to intrigue in the most monotonous locale, and for crafting a beautiful film out of an excruciating lighting exercise

2. Chris King and Gregers Sall for the Editing of Senna

For producing a coherent narrative entirely from existing footage, for transitioning between family videos and racing footage with ease, and for controlling our heartbeats and tear glands at once

1. Manuel Alberto Claro for the Cinematography of Melancholia

(also noteworthy: Visual Effects and Production Design)
For the complexity of the relationship established between scenes, for the thematic significance of every shot, and for the striking beauty of every frame

Previously on Best of 2011

Tinker Tailor Tomboy: Two Short Takes

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

My Grade: B-

Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was one of my most anticipated (and dreaded) films of the year. I’m a big fan of the John le Carré novel but I’d always wondered whether it would be possible to transfer the density of its narrative to the big screen. Though this film is by no means a failure, for the most part it left me cold. Some might believe that the original text was condensed by the screenwriters but I’d say “diluted” better describes this adaptation.

The film takes George Smiley and company from point A to B to C and so on mechanically without really developing their characters enough for us to make any connection. The bigger problem is that there is no sense of significance to the main storyline, making it really difficult to care much about where these characters end up and what consequences their actions bring.

That said, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a showcase for strong performances all around. Gray Oldman’s nuanced and understated work as Smiley is one of the year’s best performances. He blends in with the chilly atmosphere of the film but leaves a distinguished mark of genuine emotion at the right moments. If you’re wondering why none of the actors have managed to enter the awards conversation, it is because of the embarrassment of riches in the ensemble. Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy all give performances that equal their greatest work. The below the line elements of the film, particularly the costume and production design works, are equally top notch and meticulous in their reimagining of the early 1970s.

Ultimately, Alfredson’s adaptation, however expertly executed it is, feels more pragmatic and less engaging than the book it’s based on but it’s nevertheless a worthy and measured cinematic experience.

Tomboy

My Grade: A-

One of the biggest surprises of the year is this small French film about a ten-year old girl (Laure, played by Zoe Heran) who disguises herself as a boy in her new neighbourhood. It’s a surprise because despite winning an award at the Berlin Film Festival back in February, Tomboy slipped under the radar and was released with very little publicity. For shame! Celine Sciamma’s loosely structured study of a child’s identity confusion is an exquisite, complex and extremely specific film. Sciamma’s show-don’t-tell approach pays off handsomely as the kids, particularly the two sisters at the centre, take us to moments in childhood we’ve all experienced: the friendships, the games, the fights, the unjustified rivalries and premature romances. One of the strongest elements of Sciamma’s work is that she doesn’t treat the titular character as an outsider but gives Heran room to convey her uneasiness through her expressive performance. The other kids are not portrayed as villains out to bully Laure, but as children with problems of different magnitudes in their own worlds. This, combined with the golden-hued summer setting of the French country-side gives the film an intimate feel that is at once touching and funny.

Tomboy is one of those rare films about children that enters their world without looking at them through the eyes of an adult. For the short duration of this film, the audience becomes one with the kids and lives alongside them. That Sciamma manages to tell such a thought-provoking story with this youthful spirit is a miracle.