2014 Muriel Awards: Best Cinematic Breakthrough

To be perfectly frank, I've always found the Breakthrough category sort of hit and miss. Maybe it's because the definition of what really constitutes a cinematic breakthrough is pretty amorphous, but there have been times when I've found the winners in this category sort of unsatisfying.

But this year's different. Our top three finishers are all filmmakers on the make who've each announced themselves to the moviegoing public in diverse and interesting ways. And speaking of diverse, look at #1 and #2. At a time when there are plenty of think pieces about the relatively small number of female and African-American directors, I'm proud that we've decided to show particular love to two people who've bucked the trend. Now if only we could find more Muriels voters of the XX persuasion...

Third place:

Damien Chazelle – director, Whiplash [49 points / 8 votes]

Second place:

Ava DuVernay – director, Selma [106 points / 16 votes]

And the Muriel Award goes to...

Jennifer Kent – director/writer, The Babadook [139 points / 21 votes]

"In a genre never well known for its diversity, the emergence of writer-director Jennifer Kent approaches something of a major event within the Horror community. Expanding upon her 2005 short film Monster, The Babadook tells the story of a single-mother battling a dark and evil force that threatens the well-being of her and her young boy. The film features one of the most brilliant performances of the year by Essie Davis, and it’s her gripping psychological unraveling that forms the epicenter of Kent’s potent debut.

"Horror is not without its share of notable female directed entries. Antonia Bird’s Ravenous and Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark represent two of the strongest, but when you look at their material you will notice a sharp counterpoint to Kent’s work. Both Bigelow and Bird are operating in a male gaze, and both are serving up some pretty testosterone heavy narratives. Kent’s film tackles such a gamut of itchy issues, many of which are rarely scratched in horror film. Fear… simple soul crushing and physically crippling dread spurred by anxieties rooted in single parenting, loss of one’s partner, fear of hurting or growing resentful of one’s child, fear of losing a child, fear of being unable to provide for one’s family, the list goes on and on.

"On the surface it might seem like just another potential horror franchise, but at its core, The Babadook iseasily the most human of stories this side of the Dardennes to grace the screen in 2014. Kent is a name we should watch. Rarely does a filmmaker tap into the core of what’s really ticking in our psyches when things go bump in the night. If her adamant stance that The Babadook will not be remade for US audiences is any indication, it might be safe to say that we are in the presence of true filmmaker. The horror community welcomes you Ms. Kent… 'one of us. one of us. one of us...'" ~ Adam Lemke

Click here for full results.