LA film critics pick ‘Drive My Car’ as year’s best

LOS ANGELES — It was a showdown between Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” and Jane Campion’s “ The Power of the Dog ” for members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, but the group managed to give top honors to both on Dec. 19.

The Japanese film “Drive My Car” was named best picture and “The Power of the Dog,” a Western drama set in 1925, got runner up. Campion, meanwhile, received best director with Hamaguchi as her runner up.

“Our awards cover a lot of ground and genres and they also span the globe,” said Claudia Puig, the president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. “We are thrilled to spread our love and appreciation for this breadth of outstanding films.”

The LA group isn’t the first to single out “Drive My Car,” about a widowed actor and director and the relationship he develops with his chauffeur, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

The New York Film Critics Circle and the Boston Society of Film Critics awarded “Drive My Car” best picture honors as well. It also took best international feature at the Gotham Independent Film Awards.