Random Noise

Best Actress in a Leading Role

So far, this category has the strongest set of nominees. All five performances were exceptional, and ranking them was tough. After debating about a few choices in particular, I settled on the following ranking:

#5 - Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett plays Queen Elizabeth I. The film begins in the year 1585 and Elizabeth has yet to marry or have a child. She’s under pressure to find a husband because if she does not, her imprisoned cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots will be heir to the throne. There are many suitors, but she’s only attracted to Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) who has just returned from the New World and is eager to return.  Meanwhile King Philip II, King of Spain has built the Spanish Armada in order to invade England, and Mary organizes an attempt to assassinate Elizabeth. The assassination attempt fails, and Elizabeth must sign the order to execute Mary. The invasion attempt also fails as Elizabeth leads the battle to defend England from the approaching armada.

While the movie was entertaining, I didn’t find her acting really exceptional. Perhaps a big reason is because it’s the second time she’s played the same character (she played a younger Elizabeth I in the 1998 film Elizabeth). She faces a slew of trials in this movie and is able to act the part in each, but the movie is just a glorified soap opera. In the end I don’t think the performance is Oscar worthy. Her performance as Jude Quinn in I’m Not There was better.

#4 - Laura Linney, The Savages

Laura Linney is Wendy Savage. Her father, Lenny (Philip Bosco) has grown elderly and has dementia. He was living in Arizona with his longtime girlfriend, but after she dies, Wendy and her brother Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decide to bring him back to Pennsylvania & put him in a nursing home. The story mostly focuses Wendy, an aspiring playwright who’s been unsuccessful at finding love or success in her career. It seems she’s been spinning her wheels for awhile, not really making any progress on either front. But this changes after spending time closer to her brother & father.

Laura’s performance was interesting to watch – there’s a definite transition in her character through the course of events with her father. At the beginning, she seems confused with life, not really grasping onto any one thing in particular and lying to everyone around her. It’s as if she’s told so many white lies, she doesn’t know what she wants out of life anymore. But this changes when she puts her father into the nursing home. She desperately wants her father to have the best home and for him to be comfortable. Yet, because he has dementia he doesn’t recognize her efforts, or even who she is – he thinks she’s just another annoying caregiver. Laura plays the part well, balancing the jumbled set of emotions and priorities with her longing for success and desire for appreciation from others. Yet the performance wasn’t quite as good as my next pick.

#3 - Ellen Page, Juno

Ellen Page is Juno MacGuff, a high school student who accidentally gets pregnant with her longtime friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Paulie’s clearly in love with Juno, yet Juno isn’t sure if she loves him. Juno contemplates getting an abortion, but eventually decides that she will have the baby and give it to a needy family. Through a newspaper ad (Pennysaver FTW!), she finds Mark & Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman & Jennifer Garner) and signs the paperwork to give her baby to them. During the remaining months before giving birth, Juno forms an odd friendship with Mark, developing a crush on him. When Mark decides to leave Vanessa, Juno has second thoughts about handing over her baby. But in the end, Juno realizes that Vanessa will provide a good home for the baby & also decides she really does love Paulie.

I really liked this film, and Ellen Page is a big reason why. Her character begins as a confident high school student, who knows exactly what she likes and why others are the way they are. But this perspective shifts during her pregnancy. Many different elements evolve Juno. Her friendship with Mark makes her realize there’s room to explore her musical interests. Her "stupid step-mother" becomes one of her best friends. After getting to know Vanessa better, she realizes that she should try not to judge others. She learns her father is wiser than she gives him credit, and that she really does love her best friend Paulie. Ellen strings all these experiences together into a character that evolves as the movie unfolds without seeming like she’s going through the motions. Her narration also helps us understand how her perspectives evolve. In the end, not only do you leave the movie feeling good about Juno, you leave feeling better about yourself (wow that’s corny, I can’t believe I just wrote that).

#2 - Julie Christie, Away from Her

Julie Christie plays Fiona Anderson, an older woman who’s begun losing her memory due to Alzheimer’s disease. Before it gets too bad, she convinces her husband Grant (Gordon Pinsent) that it would be best for the both of them if he were to place her in a nursing home. He reluctantly does, even though he doesn’t like the nursing home’s policy that prohibits him from visiting for the first 30 days (supposedly so she will adjust to her new surroundings). After 30 days, he visits for the first time and finds that she’s forgotten who he is, and has become affectionate for another resident. Grant’s saddened, but he keeps visiting her, often just to watch her from across the room. He tries to read her books to remind her of the past, but although she seems to recognize him as a kind person, she doesn’t seem to recognize him as her husband any longer. In the end, Grant’s efforts turn towards making her happy rather than trying to fight her disease.

This movie was really touching and very emotional to watch. Julie’s performance was amazing. At first, she slowly transitions her character as the disease sets in. It begins with momentary lapses of concentration, then episodes confusion, then scenes of bewilderment. It becomes more serious as she becomes mentally detached from the importance of her surroundings such as her home and mementos. Things change a bit after she moves into the nursing home & bonds with another patient - she seems more up-beat, less isolated. Yet when Grant tries to make her happy (mostly by reading to her) you can tell inside she really is very unhappy - she clearly longs for memories that escape her grasp. Julie does all this with a very genuine touch, without seeming corny. It was really an amazing performance.

#1 - Marion Cotillard, La Môme (La Vie en Rose)

Finally, Marion Cotillard stars as Édith Piaf in La Môme (AKA "La Vie en Rose" here in the US). The movie covers Edith’s entire life, interweaving her childhood & adolescence, with that of her career at its peak. The movie ends with the final years of her life. The film is a dramatized documentary of the life of Édith Piaf, an extremely popular French singer. We watch her early years unfold as a child, then singing on street-corners, then advancing to sing in a popular nightclub, then advancing into full-fledged international celebrity as a highly regarded music hall singer. Throughout nearly all of the movie she’s shown as a heavy drinker, which has consequences for her health later in life.

Marion’s performance wasn’t as touching or emotional as Julie Christie’s, but I was amazed at her technical ability and extreme range. Marion’s performance stretches nearly all of Édith’s life. Marion’s able to capture Édith’s drunken & insecure adolescence - singing on street corners and in nightclubs, often with wild mood swings. She’s able to capture her love/hate relationship with her celebrity during her rise to fame. After falling in love with a boxer, there’s an extremely emotional scene when she finds out he won’t be visiting her any longer. In her last phase of life, she’s shown completely deteriorated, and unable to care for herself as a result of her youthful excesses and extreme arthritis. During each of these phases Marion is absolutely excellent - I was astounded that she performed so well during all these different phases of life. Which is exactly why she’s my selection for Best Actress this year.

Expect posts for Best Actor, Best Director & Best Film soon. I’ve only have one film left to watch before the Oscars on Sunday!