This is the latest ballot in indieWIRE’s 2008 Critics Poll, continuing the tradition of a national survey of critics by calling attention to the year’s best — and, in many cases, most overlooked — films, providing a meaningful counterpoint to much of the year-end hoopla. Note that some lists are unranked at the discretion of the critic. For all categories except Best Undistributed Film, eligible feature films had first-run theatrical engagements in the U.S. during 2008. Films without a U.S. distributor, screened anywhere (festival circuit, one-off screenings, etc.), are eligible in the Best Undistributed Film category. The full list of critics poll ballots is available here at indieWIRE and tabulated results are being published by indieWIRE later this month.
Aaron Hillis
Village Voice, LA Weekly, IFC
Best Film
1 – A Christmas Tale
2 – Rachel Getting Married
3 – In the City of Sylvia
4 – Paranoid Park
5 – Happy-Go-Lucky
6 – My Winnipeg
7 – The Secret of the Grain
8 – Wall-E
9 – La France
10 – Shotgun Stories
Best Performance
1 – Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
2 – Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
3 – Sean Penn, Milk
4 – Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy
5 – Nina Hoss, Yella
Best Supporting Performance
1 – Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
2 – Hafsia Herzi, The Secret of the Grain
3 – Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
4 – Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
5 – Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Best Director
Arnaud Desplechin, A Christmas Tale
Best Screenplay
Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York
Best First Feature
Build a Ship, Sail to Sadness
Best Documentary
Man on Wire
Best Undistributed Film
1 – Tony Manero
2 – Somers Town
3 – Sparrow
4 – United Red Army
5 – Night and Day
6 – I’m Gonna Explode
7 – The Windmill Movie
8 – Guest of Cindy Sherman
9 – Woodpecker
10 – Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Note: NOT RANKED
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