While it's true I have not seen all the Oscar Nominations yet, I myself did see a number of great performances which I deem noteworthy, dare I say award worthy, even if the Academy doesn't think so.
Looking back at some of my favorite performances by women this past year, my cup seems to have runeth over. Modern actresses these days still strive for the great role, they are there, but if your name doesn't end with Streep then they may be hard to come by.
I must admit I haven't seen many of the Best Actress nominees, Meryl Streep included.
A few performances however did shine for me. Kristen Wig for example illuminated slapstick comedy in "Bridesmaids", for me she was that movie no matter how many Melissa McCarthy supporters are out there. McCarthy was all show and not much substance, Wig was the human face of it all, it was her story, and she's not afraid to show her character's loneliness and sadness, but she's able to play both sides of the coin, it's a slippery slope in comedy, but Wig pulls it off beautifully; the blood of Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett run in her veins.
But Wig would still be my runner up, Rooney Mara's performance in "Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" would come somewhere close, as would Michelle Williams for "Meek's Cutoff".
But after watching it again just recently I there is no doubt in my mind my favorite performance by an actress this year just happens to come from my favorite actress of the moment Juliet Binoche in "Certified Copy".
I've become enchanted with Binoche in recent years. She's had success in North America winning an Oscar a few years back for "The English Patient", also being nominated for "Chocolat". But it was probably in Keislowski's "Blue" I first really noticed just what a great actress she was. As a woman wrought with grief, she is restrained but real, it's her face that catches my eye, there always seems to be sadness but brightness behind it too.
With "Certified Copy", Binoche may have her best performance as Elle, she is a woman on a mysterious rendezvous with a man who may or may not be her husband (William Schimell). Throughout the film, Binoche seems to be going through different stages of a relationship, sometimes she must be flirtatious, sometimes sweet, then hurt, and longing. It's a romantic mystery and most of the screen time consists of these two people.
Binoche's Elle is never elusive to us, she is the one we identify with the most, and the way she plays her is perfectly lived in. The best compliment I could give this performance is Elle feels one hundred percent real to me, she is a person I wouldn't mind knowing and could see myself meeting at some point in my life. I've always noticed that Binoche seems to have this knack for creating characters which feel very lived in, she becomes a part of the character and can immediately sympathize with their situation. Bincohe can play those real moments, in "Certified Copy" she is heartbreaking when she comes out of the ladies room having just applied make-up and earings to make herself look beautiful for the man she loves. She is dismissed by him immediately and her face goes from disappointment to hurt, but she never overplays it.
Most actors who are honored with awards seem to be those who are able to fade away into a character, the chameleons such as Meryl Streep, who I admire very much do that well. But I love the actors who bring a bit of themselves to the role. Their performance always feels more intimate, more personal, more real. When I see Binoche playing her part, she's bringing me in to her world, and I will follow her wherever she goes. This is probably the performance of the year in my book.
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