AFT Awards: Best Opening & Best Ending

These are the twenty-third and twenty-fourth categories of the 5th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors.

This year, I did a poor job documenting my favorite opening sequences and memorable endings, so I’ll just be rewarding a winner in both categories, with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” mentioned as the sole runner-up in the former race for its grungy, gritty introduction. Beware spoilers for “Take Shelter.”

Best Opening:
Drive was heavily stylized with its purple cursive font and a terrific beat by “The Chromatics” to score its opening getaway.

Best Ending:
Take Shelter was amazingly understated in its conclusion, realizing its protagonist’s worst fears with the pointing of a finger and a simple nod before fading to black. Astonishing, and incredibly lasting.