In its 56th annual voting meeting held today (1/8), the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) has chosen Drive My Car as the best picture of 2021, one of four prizes won by Ryusuke Hamaguchi-directed feature from Japan. Drive My Car also earned NSFC distinction for best director (Hamaguchi), screenplay (Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe, short story by Haruki Murakami) and actor (Hidetoshi Nishijima). 

Flee was named best nonfiction film. Best cinematography went to Andrew Droz Palermo for The Green Knight.

Penelope Cruz took best actress for Parallel Mothers while Ruth Negga was named best supporting actress for her performance in Passing. Anders Danielsen Lie won for best supporting actor in The Worst Person in the World. 

There was no vote taken on best foreign-language film since Drive My Car, a feature from Japan, won for best picture.

Here’s a full rundown of winners and runners-up with their vote totals from NSFC members:

Best Picture
Drive My Car (48 points)
Runners-up: Petite Maman (25 points), The Power of the Dog (23 points)

Best Nonfiction Film
Flee (41 points)
Runners-up: Procession and The Velvet Underground (28 points apiece)

Best Director
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (46 points)
Runners-up: Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog (36 points); Celine Sciamma for Petite Maman (28 points)

Best Screenplay
Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe, short story by Haruki Murakami, Drive My Car (46 points)
Runners-up: Pedro Almodovar for Parallel Mothers (22 points); Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza (20 points)

Best Cinematography
Andrew Droz Palermo, The Green Knight (52 points)
Runners-up: Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog (40 points); Sayombhu Mukdeeprom for Memoria (35 points)

Best Actress
Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers (55 points)
Runners-up: Renate Reinsve for The Worst Person in the World (42 points); Alana Haim for Licorice Pizza (32 points)

Best Actor
Hidetoshi Nishijima, Drive My Car (63 points)
Runners-up: Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog (44 points); Simon Rex for Red Rocket (30 points)·

Best Supporting Actor
Anders Danielsen Lie, The Worst Person in the World (54 points)
Runners-up: Vincent Lindon for Titane (33 points); Mike Faist for West Side Story, and Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Power of the Dog (26 points apiece)

Best Supporting Actress
Ruth Negga, Passing (46 points)
Runners-up: Ariana DeBose for West Side Story (22 points); Jessie Buckley for The Lost Daughter (21 points)