Every year about this time, Hollywood’s cognoscenti gather in undisclosed locations with furrowed brows to decide which of the year’s hundreds of theatrical offerings are worthy of further critical notice. And this morning marked the official kickoff of movie awards season with the announcement of the Golden Globes nominations.
Often over the last decade or so, some of the most acclaimed films come awards time have been grim-and-gritty R-rated fare, stories that were long on depressing content but pretty short on much that might be considered hopeful or redemptive. I’m thinking of films like last year’s Black Swan and 2009’s Inglourious Basterds. In 2007, the decidedly dark No Country for Old Men, Atonement and There Will Be Blood were among the most buzzed-about films of the year—and also incredibly bleak.
In contrast, this year has seen an influx of critical darlings that, for the most part, also happen to be pretty positive, accessible films. That trend is really evident in the Golden Globes’ nominees for best dramatic picture. In alphabetical order, they are: The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, Moneyball and War Horse.
As providence would have it, I reviewed four of those films this year (The Descendants, The Help, Hugo and Moneyball). And while these films have some content concerns (as always, check out our reviews before heading off to the multiplex or Redbox), each of them nevertheless deals in powerfully moving ways with intertwined themes of family, perseverance and redemption. In a word, they major in hope—instead of hopelessness.
Because of that, I walked out of each of those movies inspired to be a better person—a better father, a better husband, a better friend, a better employee—instead of wishing I had my two hours back. I definitely couldn’t say the same thing about No Country for Old Men or Black Swan.
Compared to some of the morbid and nihilistic awards season nominees over the last few years, then, 2011’s critically recognized dramas represent a hope-filled breath of (mostly) fresh air—a trend I hope carries into 2012 as well.
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