'Melancholia,' Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst win National Society of Film Critics awards

Lars von Trier’s Melancholia took home its first major U.S. awards yesterday when the National Society of Film Critics voted it the Best Picture of the Year, and star Kirsten Dunst as Best Actress. Brad Pitt won Best Actor for both Moneyball and The Tree of Life; Albert Brooks won Best Supporting Actor for Drive; and Jessica Chastain won Best Supporting Actor for The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, and The Help.

Unlike most other year-end awards, the National Society of Film Critics — which is comprised of 58 film critics from across the country (including EW’s Owen Gleiberman and Lisa Schwarzbaum) — also releases the first-and-second runners-up to each of its awards, along with the vote totals in its weighted ballot system. You can check out the full list of winners and runners-up below:

BEST PICTURE

1. Melancholia – 29 (Lars von Trier)

2. The Tree of Life – 28 (Terrence Malick)

3. A Separation – 20 (Asghar Farhadi)

BEST ACTOR

1. Brad Pitt – 35 (Moneyball, The Tree of Life)

2. Gary Oldman – 22 (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

3. Jean Dujardin – 19 (The Artist)

BEST ACTRESS

1. Kirsten Dunst – 39 (Melancholia)

2. Yun Jung-hee – 25 (Poetry)

3. Meryl Streep – 20 (The Iron Lady)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Albert Brooks – 38 (Drive)

2. Christopher Plummer – 24 (Beginners)

3. Patton Oswalt – 19 (Young Adult)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Jessica Chastain – 30 (The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Help)

2. Jeannie Berlin – 19 (Margaret)

3. Shailene Woodley – 17 (The Descendants)

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Terrence Malick – 31 (The Tree of Life)

2. Martin Scorsese – 29 (Hugo)

3. Lars von Trier – 23 (Melancholia)

BEST NONFICTION

1. Cave of Forgotten Dreams – 35 (Werner Herzog)

2. The Interrupters – 26 (Steve James)

3. Into the Abyss – 18 (Werner Herzog)

BEST SCREENPLAY

1. A Separation – 39 (Asghar Farhadi)

2. Moneyball – 22 (Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin)

3. Midnight in Paris – 16 (Woody Allen)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

1. A Separation – 67 (Asghar Farhadi)

2. Mysteries of Lisbon – 28 (Raoul Ruiz)

3. Le Havre – 22 (Aki Kaurismäki)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. The Tree of Life – 76 (Emanuel Lubezki)

2. Melancholia – 41 (Manuel Alberto Claro)

3. Hugo – 33 (Robert Richardson)

EXPERIMENTAL

Ken Jacobs, for Seeking the Monkey King

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Read more:

‘Melancholia’ wins top prize at European Film Awards

Kirsten Dunst and Alexander Skarsgard as newlyweds in ‘Melancholia’ — VIDEO

EW’s review of ‘Melancholia’