A daring visual approach powers a gorgeous film about an ugly chapter in history.

With 'Nickel Boys' taking Best Film, the National Society of Film Critics also recognized 'A Real Pain', 'Sing Sing' and 'Hard Truths'.

Jomo Fray's cinematography was also honored by the organization. The drama of two young men incarcerated at an inhumane school for boys in Florida, filmed almost entirely in first person, won the top award comfortably over runners-up "Anora" and "All We Imagine as Light.

For the first time in my four-year tenure, several awards were decided in the fourth or fifth round of ballot tallying. We were taking so long that I imagined Pansy, the cranky protagonist of Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths,” yelling “JUST PICK A WINNER ALREADY! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

The organization is voting on its selections for best picture, director, actor, actress, supporting actor and actress, screenplay and cinematography.

Voting for the National Society of Film Critics is now complete and films like “Nickel Boys” and “A Real Pain” took home top honors. NSFC was founded in 1966 and is comprised of over 60 critics hailing from outlets nationally.

RaMell Ross' adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel beat out runners-up "Anora" and "All We Imagine as Light," the latter of which did score Best Director and Best Foreign-Language Film.