After years of this being by far the more competitive of the two lead
categories, I think it switched this year – but that doesn’t mean there weren’t
a lot of great performances in this category this year – some flew too far
under the radar.
Performances that I really loved, but didn’t have room for in my top 10
include: Ana de Armas in Knives Out was
the surprise lead of the film, and was charming throughout – carrying it
through all the twists and turns. Kaitlyn
Dever & Beanie Feldman in Booksmart who are perfect together,
developing one of the best portraits of teenage female friendship I’ve seen in
any movie. Cynthia Erivo in Harriet elevates
the rather typical biopic with a fiery performance as the legendary conductor
on the Underground Railroad. Charlize
Theron in Bombshell does a killer Megyn Kelly impression, and makes her
brave, without making her flawless. Rene
Zellweger in Judy is the type of comeback performance in a biopic that
brings actress and subject into sharp focus. Tao Zhao in Ash is Purest White continues to prove why she is one
of the greatest actresses in the world – especially when working with Jia
Zhang-ke.
10. Awkafina in The
Farewell
Awkafina is the anchor of The Farewell – a sweet, funny, charming and
genuinely moving feature about an extended family all returning to China to say
goodbye to their dying grandmother – without letting her know she is dying.
Awkafina plays the stand-in for director Lulu Wang – telling her own story –
and is also the conduit for the audience itself, who may not fully understand
Chinese culture, as she asks the questions we are asking ourselves (and should)
throughout. All of those things usually mean the lead character can be more
than a little dull – or at least not one with much depth. But that isn’t true
here – here, Awkafina is genuinely warm and moving, funny and charming, and
explores depths of what it means to be Chinese-American – both sides of that
being important. This is proof that Awkafina has a long career ahead of her –
and she’s not just the insanely funny comic relief she had been cast as before
this.
9. Juli Jakab in
Sunset
The films of Laszlo Nemes depend a great deal on the faces of his protagonists
– the brilliant performance by Geza Rohring at the heart of Son of Saul for
instance. In Sunset, his massively underrated follow-up, that role is played by
Juli Jakab – a mysterious young woman in pre-WWI Hungry, who returns to
Budapest, to try and get a job at the hat store her family once owned – as
Budapest descends into chaos, and everyone tries to pretend it isn’t happening.
This is a chillier movie and performance than Son of Saul – which did the same
thing in limiting your perspective and focusing exclusively on this lead
character – and Jakub makes her one of the most fascinatingly distant
characters you can imagine. She doesn’t give anything away – but there’s so
much going there anyway. It is a great performance, in a great movie, that
deserved more attention.
8. Honor Swinton Byrne
in The Souvenir
Honor Swinton Byrne’s breakthrough performance in The Souvenir is truly
wonderful. Playing the stand-in for director Joanne Hogg in her film school
days, who gets involved in a toxic relationship and then cannot find her way
back out, Swinton Byrne’s performance here is remarkably subtle. You know she’s
making mistakes – and yet, you understand precisely why she’s doing it at the
same time. That happiness in the early scenes, gives way to heartbreak, slowly
but surely. The film is a coming of age story of sorts – that first adult
relationship, that shapes you forever, and you cannot forget, even if you
should. Swinton Byrne has big shoes to fill to match her mother’s career – but
she has knocked it out of the park her first time to the plate.
7. Aisling Franciosi in
The Nightingale
Irish-Italian actress Aisling Franciosi has mainly done TV work
(including a couple episode of Game of Thrones) before being tapped for the
lead in Jennifer Kent’s brilliant, harrowing follow-up to her debut masterpiece
The Babadook. As Clare, a young Irish woman sent to Australia for a prison term
in the 1800s for petty teenage crime, and getting more just punishment for the
abusive English officer who controls her fate, Franciosi delivers a brilliant
performance. The first act of the movie is all abuse – she suffers one horror
after another – before she takes control of her fate from then on, with a
fierce determination that carries the film through some scenes you may not want
to watch. In a just world, this is the type of performance that would make her
a star – unfortunately not enough viewers dared to see this film. I know I’ll
never forget it however.
6. Saorise Ronan in
Little Women
In their two movies together so far, Greta Gerwig and Saorise Ronan have
become one of the best actor/director collaborations currently working. Her Jo
in Little Women is in many ways, a continuation from the work she was doing in
Lady Bird – her character who is full of plans for her future, so outwardly
confident, and yet so inwardly insecure – unsure of what to do next. The way
Ronan movies through the world is mesmerizing, and she gets the perfect rhythm
to Gerwig’s dialogue, which does have a subtle musicality to it. She is great
when she is putting on her brave, confident face – but even better when just a
part of her breaks a little, and then has to put that brave face back on. Ronan
has been one of the great actresses working for a while now – so this isn’t the
best performance by the actress who delivered that stunning performance in
Brooklyn a few years ago, but it’s more proof that she is one of the greats.
5. Mary Kay Pace in
Diane
Mary Kay Pace is one of those terrific character actresses who is always
great in everything – but usually the parts are small, and you don’t often
notice just how great she is. Kent Jones wrote Diane specifically for Pace –
specifically to give her a lead role finally – and Pace wasn’t going to let the
role get away. This is a complex role – starting out as how we see a
stereotypical mother – selfless, always doing for others, never expecting
anything in return – until the film allows its secrets to come out, slowly but
surely, and you start to question Diane’s motives – and wonder if that is what
matters? The film then goes to some rather profound – and universal – places it
winds down. Pace has never delivered a bad performance that I’ve seen – she has
never gotten the chance to be this good before, and she is truly remarkable
here.
4. Florence Pugh in
Midsommar
Florence Pugh’s performance in Midsommar is remarkable for the many
different layers she has to hit. This is a horror film, and she does have to
hit horror movie beats – which she does brilliantly. But her performance here
is also one that is a depiction of depression – the constant drip, drip, drip
of it always getting in the way. It’s a portrait of being one side of a couple
– the side more afraid to lose the relationship – making excuses for her
boyfriend, hell, apologizing to him when it’s his fault. And finally, in those
last moments, it’s becoming free of all of that as well. Those who saw Pugh in
Lady Macbeth two years ago already knew how brilliant an actress she could be –
2019 confirmed it, nowhere more so than here, where she delivered her best
performance to date.
3. Elisabeth Moss in
Her Smell
There are few performances this year that just completely “go for it”
with the same fearlessness and gusto as Elisabeth Moss’ in Her Smell. In the
film, she plays a Courtney Love style rock style – in five long scenes, set
over a few years, as she spirals completely out-of-control, hits rock bottom,
and then slowly rises up again. It’s a fearless performance, as Moss does
nothing in those early scenes to make her character sympathetic – she is raw
and full of rage, and pushes everyone – and the audience – to their breaking
point. In the two later scenes though, she is fragile – the first one, with her
daughter, playing a cheesy pop song on the piano, brings tears to your eye. In
the final, as she tries to maintain her grip, without going over, it’s a
portrait of vulnerability. Moss really does hit every note imaginable in Her
Smell – and nails them all. The great TV actress, finally has the film roll she
deserves.
2. Scarlett Johansson
in Marriage Story
I know it’s selfish of me, but I’m glad after Avengers: Endgame that
perhaps Johannsson’s schedule will be freed up to do more challenging work than
she’s been doing basically since her duel brilliance in 2013’s Under the Skin
and Her. Her performance in Marriage Story may just be her best work yet –
playing a woman who still loves her husband, but knows that if she is ever
going to be her own person – and not just an extension of him – she needs to
get away from him. She is given a devastating monologue in her lawyer’s office
where she lays out everything in one brilliant, long take – mostly in close-up.
But she is great throughout – a woman who can cruel and mean, but is also a
victim of her husband cruelty as well – and not because anyone is bad, but
because that is what marriage has done to them. It is a sensitive, subtle
performance and a welcome return to form for Johansson, who has been lost in
superhero land for far too long.
1. Lupita Nyong’o in Us
Lupita Nyong’o’s dual performance in Us is truly
among the most complexes performances of the year – really in recent memory.
Both as Adelaide – the wife and mother – and Red – her murderous doppelgänger –
Nyong’o has to find hidden depths – and then keep finding them as the secrets
come out, and in turn, makes both of these characters even more complex. In
these roles, Nyong’o has to navigate two people’s traumatic pasts, two people’s
lies and cover-ups. Oh, and she also has to be absolutely terrifying as well.
We have seen a number of truly great horror movie performances in the last few
years – and I think Nyong’o’s belongs at the top of the list. Easily the best work
of Nyong’o’s already wonderful career.
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