Chatterbox Film and Television Awards 2024

Smashing together some of my favourite TV and film  here's a fairly short list of my best of the year.  As always, they are things I have seen this year, rather than when they first appeared.   If you want to see my fuller comments you can follow the links.

Best film drama

Putting all the different genres together this year, the nominees are:

Past Lives: A story about missed love, what might have been and hope.   Understated performances from the two leads as the characters meet at various times over the years

Poor things:  This was such an original film with fantastic performances, particularly from Emma Stone, but from all of the supporting cast too.  The set design and costume was fantastic too, and the whole thing was strange in a good way.

A Real Pain:  A quietly funny and moving odd couple movie with Jesse Eisenburg and Kieran Culkin as two cousins meet to join an Auschwitz tour and visit the home of their Grandmother in Poland.  This one grew on me

I Saw The TV Glow:  A strange but wonderful little film, combining a homage to 80s tacky sci-fi via Stranger Things to create a trans allegory.  Horror, sci-fi and also a buddy movie all rolled in together.  Weird enough to watch again to understand what I saw the first time.

The Zone of Interest: I didn't enjoy this film at all but it was a powerful examination of how humans can deny the humanity of others to serve their own interests as we follow the family of the Auschwitz Commandant in their idyllic life next to the camp.  I couldn't look away.

Petite Maman: Gorgeous film about a little girl making a new friend while staying at her Grandmothers house.  Delicate and quietly moving, focusing on growing up, love and grief. 

All Of Us Strangers:  I saw this for the first time in 2023 but it was officially released in 2024 and so I am including this here (sue me!).  A ghost story and a love story, this beautiful film is about grief, loneliness and love (of all kinds), particularly how love carries on after death.  I loved everything about it from the script and cinematography and the musical choices to the fantastic performances from the cast of four, all excellent.  Nothing else moved me as much this year.

And the winner is:  All Of Us Strangers

Best television action or thriller

The nominees are all discussed in more detail here :

Black Doves:  Fast paced, funny, violent, bloody,featuring Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire, and Keira Knightly as a blood magnet, what's not to like, particularly when you include a blink-and-you miss it performance from Pappa Essiedu, and that it is set at Christmas time.  British Die Hard - Irresistible.

Slow Horses Series 4:  More of the same really, and that's not a bad thing.  River does a lot of running and Jackson Lamb continues to be a clever slob running rings around the baddies.  This season features a car chase in a black cab, and Joanna Scanlan, both great additions.  I want this to continue forever.

The Diplomat: I didn't watch the first series when it came out which was my loss.  But then I binged both series together.  With Rufus Sewell and Rory Kinnear,  and David Gayasi as eye candy, love interest and moral high ground, this is a lot of fun, particularly when there are explosions too.                 

And the winner is: Black Doves                                                                                                                   

       

Best television drama

The nominees are all discussed in more detail here:

Douglas is Cancelled: Clever plotting kept me on my toes throughout this drama, not sure who were the goodies and baddies.  Gripping and with a great mike drop ending

Baby Reindeer: This was tv that constantly had me sitting at the edge of my seat, and wondering how Richard Gadd could bring himself to perform in something that must have been so painful to experience.  It's an odd thing, but not easy to look away from.

Ripley:  Gorgeous looking telly, with the well known story given a new angle.  I loved fed-up Andrew Scott and particularly the observant cat.  I will probably watch this again just because of how beautiful it is, every shot a masterpiece.

And the winner is: Ripley

Best television romantic comedy or drama

I have written about all of the nominees here 

One Day:  Quietly devastating, this series comes much closer to the impact of the book and I found I was a bit resistant, wanting to protect my heart from being broken but it sucked me in anyway.

Heartstopper:  The third instalment of Alice Osemans adaptation of their own webcomic following the love story of Nick and Charlie.  Many of the storylines came to a head in this season, with Charlie's eating disorder and the developing intimacy between the couples, all tackled in trademark Heartstopper style with honesty but also optimism. 

Mr Loverman: A history lesson, a wander through some musical and fashion back catalogues, and a quietly moving love story with a lovely performance from Lenny James, in my view a criminally underused actor,  who really shone in this.  And my heart went out to Sharon D Clarke's Carmel, who knew something was wrong but just kept aiming at the wrong target.  Made me laugh and cry and took me on a trip down memory lane to 1970s reggae and ska nights at my local under-18s disco. Loved it.

Nobody Wants This:  The only romcom in this list, this was a sharply funny romance with lots of clear eyed commentary about modern dating culture and with largely well rounded characters in the supporting cast as well.  It's a cut above the average mainly because of the two leads.

And the winner is: Mr Loverman

Best actor 

The nominees are:

Andrew Scott (Ripley, All of Us Strangers)

Lennie James (Mr Loverman) 

Keiran Culkin (A Real Pain)

And the winner is Lennie James

Best Actress

Emma Stone (Poor Things)

Mia Mckenna Bruce (How To Have Sex) 

Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, Zone of Interest) 

And the winner is Sandra Hüller 

My special pick of the year 2024

Same as last year, I am going for this series, mainly because it flies under the radar in the usual award categories because of its teen nature.  Heartstopper is often described as cute and wholesome, but I don't really think it is.  It gives a different positive type of representation to younger teens, particularly those who are in some form or other not straight.  The real world challenges are there, but optimism continues to be the attitude that permeates this show.  Not all of the challenges are surmountable, for example in this series we saw transphobia, and Charlie's eating disorder which doesn't have a quick fix.  Episode 4 in particular, which is the culmination of the eating disorder storyline was excellent as was the lead up to it, not shying away from the issues that this condition can cause for the individuals experiencing it, or the people around them, but also identifying paths through.  Personally, I often find it educational and thought provoking in all sorts of ways and quietly hard-hitting if that isn't too much of a contradiction.  Best of all, it brings joy to the world, and I think we could all do with more of that.  Jonathan Bailey said in an interview recently that everyone over 40 should be made to watch Heartstopper and I heartily agree.  

Special Pick: Heartstopper Season 3