Independent Spirit Awards honors small, indie films that would otherwise go ignored, like Silver Linings Playbook
Last night’s Oscars may have finally wrapped up the months-long tribute to the year in movies that were Chicago, but there were also other awards ceremonies this weekend, and other movies besides Chicago. Most importantly there was the Independent Spirit Awards, which honored films made well outside the mainstream—like big winner Silver Linings Playbook, which took home Best Feature, Best Female Lead for Jennifer Lawrence, and Best Director and Best Screenplay for David O. Russell, honoring its daring commitment to fringe filmmaking. Similarly, a best supporting actor nod went to Matthew McConaughey for his role in Magic Mike, the bleak arthouse drama from noted outsider director Steven Soderbergh that bravely gambled on its small audience of cineastes gravitating toward the grim symbolism of watching physically fit men take off their shirts.