Chicago film critics choose ‘The Power of the Dog’ for top award

“The Power of the Dog,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a hard-edged cowboy, was named the best film of 2021 by the Chicago Film Critics Association.

The group lavished multiple awards on the Netflix Western on Wednesday, including best director and best adapted screenplay for Jane Campion, best actor for Cumberbatch, best supporting actor for Kodi Smit-McPhee, best cinematography and best original score.

The best actress trophy went to Kristen Stewart for her work as Diana, Princess of Wales, in “Spencer.” Ruth Negga, who plays a Black woman living as though she’s white, won the best supporting actress award for the film.

Here are the other winners:

• BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY — “Licorice Pizza” by Paul Thomas Anderson
• BEST ANIMATED FILM — “Flee”
• BEST DOCUMENTARY — “Summer of Soul”
• BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM — “Drive My Car”
• BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN — “The French Dispatch”
• BEST COSTUME DESIGN — “Spencer”
• BEST EDITING — “The French Dispatch”
• BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS — “Dune”
• MOST PROMISING PERFORMER — Alana Haim, “Licorice Pizza”
• BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER — Michael Sarnoski, “Pig”