Lady Gaga’s Passion at the New York Film Critics Circle Dinner at Tao

Brought to tears in telling the tale of her immigrant ancestry, Lady Gaga thanked the New York Film Critics Circle for recognizing her for Best Actress for her performance in House of Gucci. Big on heart, she was grateful to everyone from director Ridley Scott to her hairdresser and makeup artist, but mainly, she cited her matrilineage of strong Italian women who taught her to be bold and fearless, in a family that featured lots of shouting. Sorry, mom, she shouted out to her platinum haired mother seated at her table at Tao, the meatpacking Asian-themed restaurant and longtime venue for this annual—except for the Covid years--event. 

She was not the only awardee crying with emotion. Jane Campion, the NYFCC’s pick for Best Director, her citation given by Martin Scorsese, spoke of an early turn around in her career when the movie Sweetie, which many critics did not like, got a second wind after the New York Times critic Vincent Canby wrote favorably about it and changed the “trajectory of my career.” Back in the day, Susan Sontag took her to tea. Nothing if not edgy, Campion’s Power of the Dog is frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar, but Drive My Car, from Japan, got that honor with the New York critics.

Based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, the epic length film is beautifully crafted, noted Jim Jarmusch in presenting the Best Picture award to Ryusuke Hamaguchi. When I spoke to him later, he said he never met the author, but Murakami has seen the film and likes it. The tender movie stars, among the fine actors, a red Saab. The car got a lot of attention at Tao. In accepting his award for the NY critics’ Best Foreign Language film, Joachim Trier, the Norwegian director of The Worst Person in the World, noted the Saab provided a Scandinavian presence and, with a nod to the approaching Oscars, and seeing the competition: “I’m the Best Foreign Language Film.” 

As always, this special night had many great moments, and presenters: Al Gore limned the career of Diane Weyermann, an important champion of many documentaries including his An Inconvenient Truth; Tony Kushner presented to Maggie Gyllenhaal, honored for Best First Film. Kushner had seen an early cut of The Lost Daughter and told her the film was alive, just enough encouragement. She said, “It kept me listening to myself.” Awarded for his script, Paul Thomas Anderson was cheered on by his Licorice Pizza stars Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim. 

Best Non-Fiction Film director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, also nominated for three Oscars, for Foreign Language film, Documentary and Animation, said that in Flee, the story he tells of his friend Amin Nawabi’s harrowing journey from Afghanistan is most resonant now with people fleeing Ukraine. The irrepressible Robert Klein, nearing 80, introduced Marshall Fine, given a Special Award after years of membership in this venerable organization. Standing at the Tao podium, and riffing on those whose presence came via video, Klein apologized, quipping, “I can’t be with you tonight. I’m in Paris making a film about Charles DeGaulle’s sister.”

Awarded for Best Animated Film for The Mitchells vs. The Machine, director Michael Rianda summed up this special night: “I don’t know what’s going to happen at the Oscars, but this is better.”