Is there another director who consistently makes great showcase movies for actresses? The role Woody Allen wrote for Cate Blanchett is phenomenal. Jasmine is deluded, pathetic and sad but she still has her dignity intact. Blanchett is in top form, with affected mannerisms and haughty indignation. Blanchett is a terrific actress but her work as Jasmine is career-redefining. Supported by an equally talented cast, Blanchett sheds any sort of self-respect in order to make Jasmine a difficult character who causes her own breakdown. That kind of role is all too rare for actresses.
Emily Blunt has been cultivating a career that is pretty diverse. Perhaps her most well-regarded role is Rita Vrataski, the no-nonsense war hero who trains Tom Cruise through a series of time loops in a hopeless alien war. Cruise may be the nominal star, but the film belongs to Blunt. Her performance is tough and fearless, and she captures the rugged exhaustion of soldiers that comes with ferocious heroism. Blunt may not have been your first choice for an action hero but Edge of Tomorrow has defined her career.
In 2011, Hollywood found an actress who literally came out of nowhere, starred in half a dozen high profile films and made herself a household name. Zero Dark Thirty was the culmination of Chastain meteoric rise to fame and it's an incredibly textured performance. Maya has to contend with national security being in her hands, sexist bosses, and the fear that her own goals are becoming an obsession. Chastain is fierce and committed; she underplays Maya's obsessiveness, relying more on subtle body language and dialogue delivery. The final scene on the plane--a true master class of breakdown acting.
A lot of critics like to throw out "old world charm" to describe actresses who aren't just sex symbols. But Marion Cotillard truly does feel like she stepped out of the past. Her dignified glamor serves her well in her role as Sandra, which would be humiliating but for Cotillard's own grace and class. Forced to spend a weekend begging co-workers to give up their bonus to keep her job, Sandra robotically repeats her pleas and Cotillard shows false graciousness when turned down. The role requires a large range of complex emotions, and her work is nuanced, heartbreaking but ultimately heroic.
It's hard for me to write about this performance, mostly because I've written about it before on this blog. But I'll try not to repeat myself here. One thing that I really enjoy about Johansson's work here is its soulful inquisitiveness and sad self-reflection. While Samantha can be charming, funny and sexy, there's always an undercurrent of sadness knowing that there are some experiences she can't have without a corporal form. Johansson taps into that feeling and it informs her entire performance.
This is a tough film to watch because it centers on the death of a young child. But the film isn't some grim, heavy-handed tragedy but a lively exploration of grief in its varied forms. Kidman plays Becca, a grieving mother who doesn't fit into traditional notions of grieving mothers. She's acerbic and sarcastic, and tries to erase her son to move on. There's a fabulous scene where Becca breaks down alone in her car, which brings her inner emotions to the surface. Kidman also produced this film, and her strong affection for the material comes through in her acting
Even after being in some of the biggest hits of modern Indian films, Deepika Padukone put in her best work in this offbeat small scale family comedy/drama. Padukone plays the title character, who is frustrated by her cantankerous father. Pike is constantly yelling, lecturing, being sarcastic and cantankerous herself. Padukone provides a strong comic backbone to the film and her performance feels genuine and heartfelt. I've always respected Padukone's commitment to playing non-traditonal roles, and Piku feels like an authentic representation of Indian women today.
3 dimensional roles for women are rare in mainstream Hollywood. Even more rare are negative roles for women. So Rosamund Pike really sinks her teeth into Amy Dunne. Amy is a tough character, who puts on different personas around different people, but Pike keeps her psychosis always bubbling under the surface. She's vicious in the role, a welcome contrast to her usual sweet supporting roles. Pike stays cool for a lot of the film, so that her intense and violent episodes are chilling to the core. It's an incredible piece of work and a performance for the ages.
Mavis Gary is a self-deluded narcissist, stuck in high school and obsessed with superficial things. Writer Diablo Cody is incredible at crafting endearingly unlikeable women and Charlize Theron matches her step for step. She bristles at welcoming open arms, remains bitter for nothing and refuses to conform to her situation. Theron throws herself into this pathetic role, her picture perfect beauty serving to highlight the ugliness beneath the surface. She's brilliantly acerbic, sad and remorseless. That she didn't get much awards attention is really disappointing because this is masterful work.
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1 comment:
I saw piku actress did great role but story is just bad
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