This made me literally LOL when I saw it on the Critic's Choice Awards website late last year. If you can see the mistake they made, surely you'll see it's an easy one to make. Both Michelle Williams' (Willii?) are amazing.
Speaking of the one above, why wasn't she allowed to be in the video for Beyonce's Party?It could have been a Destiny's Child reunion of sorts... And while I'm on the topic of that video, where is Andre Benjamin? J. Cole's verse is terrible, it's like he's sleepwalking through three quarters of it! Terrible. Way to ruin my favourite song off of 4....
Anyway I digress... My own ballot for the leading ladies of last year would look like so -
Annette Bening trumps her co-lead Julianne Moore for her nuanced portrayal of the more unlikeable character, Nic, and for nailing the delivery of the word 'interloper' during a pivotal scene. When this mother bear figure asserts herself it makes for an electrifying conflict of fear and vulnerability laced with self-assertion and authority.
Kim Hye-Ja also excels as 'Mother' in a role that would probably inspire overacting and overreaching for audience sympathies by a lesser actress. Instead, she negotiates the many arcs and contradictions of the character with dexterity and fierce determination which cannot be anything but entirely sympathetic and pathetic in equal measure. As her character reaches further into pits of desperation and uncertainty, Hye-Ja never lets you forget that mother is entirely in charge, at any necessary cost, which is as thrilling and terrifying as it is pitiable. But what makes this performance remarkable is that you never once doubt for a second that what the character is doing is not motivated by love (and guilt and fearful protectiveness - so many layers) for her child. Plus bonus points for dancing.
Catherine Keener uses her remarkably weathered face and body language to create a portrait of mother and antiques dealer Kate, swimming in a sea of defeat which is incredibly endearing, but without sacrificing a complexity to the character that suggests she is more than capable of seeking out salvation from her current anomie. Catherine Keener is a familiar presence and a welcome one, and in this movie more than any other I just wanted to hug her and buy her a coffee, her despair is so intangible and palpable at the same time.
Gabourey Sidibe is blistering in her debut performance, miles away in demeanor from her ebullient personality she has displayed in interviews. Her Precious is no doubt defined by the misery of her surroundings, but Sidibe's performance, way more than the scripting, suggests a redemptive arc to the character. The performance is entirely convincing, and given depth by nuances that come from an empathetic performer.
Tilda Swinton as Emma Recchi conveys the most remarkable of transformations with the most expert grace and precision; watch her controlled matriarch thaw before your very eyes and convince you that the food and sex she's experiencing are enough to sacrifice everything you've ever known for, and feel the excitement of guilt and transgression simultaneously. All in Russian accented Italian, nonetheless.
Finally, Michelle Williams' Cindy has the difficult task of convincing you that she has fallen both in and out of love with Ryan Gosling. Please. The fact she pulls it off, ranging from luminous and radiant to bitter and distant, is a near miracle, even if she convinces considerably more in the former zone rather than the latter. What she is able to improvise with her on-screen partner, creating a twee yet sincere portrait of a pixie-ish dreamboat, through charisma and awkwardness alone that is entirely in character, is thoroughly endearing.
I love actresses.
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