OVP: Best Actress (2016)
The Nominees Were...
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
My Thoughts: All this week we're focusing on Best Actress nominees from years gone-by to honor this post, so I better at least get the actual post we're honoring out! Today we move into the final acting category of 2016, Best Actress. The lineup is noteworthy in recent years as Oscar has been a lot less likely to look outside of the Best Picture field for acting nominations, and yet only one of these nominees comes from a movie that was cited for the top prize. The rest got a smattering of nominations (or in two cases, these were the only nominations the film got), though as we'll see when we get to the precursors, they were all hard-fought (this field had a lot of different, very viable options).
We're going to start with one of the women who probably just made the cut, an actress you should never count out when it comes to Oscar: Meryl Streep. Meryl's nomination here (her 20th) at the time felt very vulnerable, and probably wouldn't have happened were it not for her fiery speech blasting Donald Trump (remember when he called her "overrated?), which got her huge points & quickly became a cultural touchpoint (a vote for Meryl felt like a vote against Trump, and people who love film love casting votes against Trump). Her work here is fine. Meryl is lovely, and her bigger scenes (like the concert scene and her final scene on screen) are great, showing the range she possesses as an actress. I couldn't help but feel, though, that she could have made the picture more special as Streep (who seems to just be having a good time onscreen this decade, and not really "challenging" herself in the way she did from say 1978-2006) keeps the film too light & predictable. It's good work, don't get me wrong, but this comes across as a nomination that happened more to make a statement & because Streep is a default option, rather than because she was truly in the Top 5 best of the year.
The other nomination that felt like it was probably on the chopping block that year (or at least could have gone a different direction with the precursors) was Ruth Negga in Loving. Her work here is unusual for Oscar, who doesn't like his leading ladies introverted, and Negga's Mildred is very introverted. Normally I am into introverted performances, and there are moments when Negga reacts with her eyes and her movements, particularly as a woman in love with a husband (who understands the parts of her relationship her husband doesn't understand) society doesn't expect. But much of Loving is too reliant on the unsaid, and Negga's performance becomes a blank slate that none of the other actors, and in particular the director, doesn't want to write upon. As a result, this feels too unfulfilled, too unknown, for a movie that cares desperately about Mildred's point-of-view, but is too intent on keeping it hidden to ever have it inform the major cruxes in the movie.
This is also a problem, I'm sorry to say, for Emma Stone. Stone's work in La La Land, unlike Negga & Streep, was never in doubt for a nomination-it probably is the kind of performance that could win in most years. But it's again too reliant on the unsaid in her performance, and here because the movie is so reliant on visuals, it pays off even less. Loving has something to say, La La Land oftentimes feels like it's performing high-theft robbery from Vincente Minnelli & Stanley Donen, and Stone doesn't bring enough unique perspective to her character's motives to help elevate the film. She's not bad (Stone's wide, expressive eyes can capture the emotion that Chazelle is going for even when the script can't), but between the okay singing & surface-level feeling she brings to some key scenes, it feels starved to me of depth.
This isn't the case for Natalie Portman, which is fascinating because she's playing a woman who famously had no depth in her public persona. The genius of Portman's work in Jackie is not that she finds a soul behind a woman who was basically a Barbie doll to the American people (google Jackie Kennedy, and try to find an article where the first paragraph doesn't use the word 'glamorous,' 'elegant,' or 'beautiful'), but showing the ways the public persona was real, and when it was an illusion. The accent work here is perfect, but it's in making an uncomplicated woman complicated, while still true to herself that is astounding to me; Portman's Jackie could be fictional, and we'd still understand the pressures she's under to remain placid, and how she slowly uses that to her advantage, even if it also means great personal sacrifice.
Isabelle Huppert is our last nominee, and is terrific (side note-am I the only one who is always a little embarrassed when acting gods get their first and probably only nomination, and then we make them lose at the Oscars...see also Charlotte Rampling for this feeling). Elle is an intricate movie, one that will stun you & tries to upend sexual politics in a way that almost feels like an homage to Lina Wertmuller, but it works. Her character and the complicated past she brings to this role is intriguing, and looks at an angle of celebrity we weirdly don't see in the movies, even in an industry obsessed with unexpected violence (her character is the daughter of a famed serial killer). Again, like Negga & Stone, this is a character who doesn't reveal key emotions in critical scenes but unlike these two you feel in the acts prior that you understand why Huppert's Michele is acting the way she does, and the revenge she eventually gets (whether it's intentional or not). Elle works because of her performance (it'd fall completely apart if it were in the hands of a lesser actor).
We're going to start with one of the women who probably just made the cut, an actress you should never count out when it comes to Oscar: Meryl Streep. Meryl's nomination here (her 20th) at the time felt very vulnerable, and probably wouldn't have happened were it not for her fiery speech blasting Donald Trump (remember when he called her "overrated?), which got her huge points & quickly became a cultural touchpoint (a vote for Meryl felt like a vote against Trump, and people who love film love casting votes against Trump). Her work here is fine. Meryl is lovely, and her bigger scenes (like the concert scene and her final scene on screen) are great, showing the range she possesses as an actress. I couldn't help but feel, though, that she could have made the picture more special as Streep (who seems to just be having a good time onscreen this decade, and not really "challenging" herself in the way she did from say 1978-2006) keeps the film too light & predictable. It's good work, don't get me wrong, but this comes across as a nomination that happened more to make a statement & because Streep is a default option, rather than because she was truly in the Top 5 best of the year.
The other nomination that felt like it was probably on the chopping block that year (or at least could have gone a different direction with the precursors) was Ruth Negga in Loving. Her work here is unusual for Oscar, who doesn't like his leading ladies introverted, and Negga's Mildred is very introverted. Normally I am into introverted performances, and there are moments when Negga reacts with her eyes and her movements, particularly as a woman in love with a husband (who understands the parts of her relationship her husband doesn't understand) society doesn't expect. But much of Loving is too reliant on the unsaid, and Negga's performance becomes a blank slate that none of the other actors, and in particular the director, doesn't want to write upon. As a result, this feels too unfulfilled, too unknown, for a movie that cares desperately about Mildred's point-of-view, but is too intent on keeping it hidden to ever have it inform the major cruxes in the movie.
This is also a problem, I'm sorry to say, for Emma Stone. Stone's work in La La Land, unlike Negga & Streep, was never in doubt for a nomination-it probably is the kind of performance that could win in most years. But it's again too reliant on the unsaid in her performance, and here because the movie is so reliant on visuals, it pays off even less. Loving has something to say, La La Land oftentimes feels like it's performing high-theft robbery from Vincente Minnelli & Stanley Donen, and Stone doesn't bring enough unique perspective to her character's motives to help elevate the film. She's not bad (Stone's wide, expressive eyes can capture the emotion that Chazelle is going for even when the script can't), but between the okay singing & surface-level feeling she brings to some key scenes, it feels starved to me of depth.
This isn't the case for Natalie Portman, which is fascinating because she's playing a woman who famously had no depth in her public persona. The genius of Portman's work in Jackie is not that she finds a soul behind a woman who was basically a Barbie doll to the American people (google Jackie Kennedy, and try to find an article where the first paragraph doesn't use the word 'glamorous,' 'elegant,' or 'beautiful'), but showing the ways the public persona was real, and when it was an illusion. The accent work here is perfect, but it's in making an uncomplicated woman complicated, while still true to herself that is astounding to me; Portman's Jackie could be fictional, and we'd still understand the pressures she's under to remain placid, and how she slowly uses that to her advantage, even if it also means great personal sacrifice.
Isabelle Huppert is our last nominee, and is terrific (side note-am I the only one who is always a little embarrassed when acting gods get their first and probably only nomination, and then we make them lose at the Oscars...see also Charlotte Rampling for this feeling). Elle is an intricate movie, one that will stun you & tries to upend sexual politics in a way that almost feels like an homage to Lina Wertmuller, but it works. Her character and the complicated past she brings to this role is intriguing, and looks at an angle of celebrity we weirdly don't see in the movies, even in an industry obsessed with unexpected violence (her character is the daughter of a famed serial killer). Again, like Negga & Stone, this is a character who doesn't reveal key emotions in critical scenes but unlike these two you feel in the acts prior that you understand why Huppert's Michele is acting the way she does, and the revenge she eventually gets (whether it's intentional or not). Elle works because of her performance (it'd fall completely apart if it were in the hands of a lesser actor).
Other Precursor Contenders: The Globes separate their nominations between Drama and Musical/Comedy, so we have ten women nominated for these awards. Drama went with Huppert as its winner (which felt like a slight surprise at the time, and in hindsight still does, though given the eventual Oscar nominations it probably shouldn't)-she beat Portman, Negga, Amy Adams (Arrival), & Jessica Chastain (Miss Sloane). Emma Stone won an easy prize for Best Actress in Musical/Comedy, triumphing over Streep, Annette Bening (20th Century Women), Lily Collins (Rules Don't Apply), and Hailee Steinfeld (Edge of Seventeen). SAG bumped Negga & Huppert, putting Adams and Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train) into the conversation, with Stone winning, while BAFTA went with the same lineup, and again a victory for Stone (it also feels weird in hindsight that Huppert couldn't get with BAFTA since that nomination would be in their wheelhouse). I would assume Amy Adams was therefore the sixth place finisher, but it's hard to tell-Blunt had a lot of momentum at the last minute that year, but Oscar doesn't really like Emily Blunt (they've passed on chances to nominate her many times), so maybe it was just Adams left holding the bill here.
Actors I Would Have Nominated: I know that I would have found room for Amy Adams, who I found mesmerizing in Arrival. This is one of her best performances, way better than some of the work they have cited her for, which makes her snub all the more perplexing. I also would have thrown in Tilda Swinton for A Bigger Splash, as her mute rock star is terrific, and a reminder that Tilda has been one of the most consistent performers post her Oscar win we've had this century. And speaking of consistent, Juliette Binoche is so flawless so often that ignoring her for a film like L'Attesa could be considered forgivable...but it's not. She finds ways to express grief and regret that most other actresses would leave untapped.
Oscar’s Choice: Easily Stone. Had Portman been willing to campaign (and if she'd won the Globe) there might have been some competition there, but Huppert's work is too avant garde to win this category, and Streep had just won, so Stone, by a landslide.
My Choice: I'm going with Portman over Huppert, though both should be commended for finding rich scripts & still putting more on the screen than what is in them. I'll follow them with Streep, Negga, and Stone, in that order.
Those are my thoughts, but now I want to hear yours! Are you with me on Team Natalie, or are you like the rest of the awards season lining up behind Emma? Do you think we're due for a season where Meryl is in the mix but doesn't get an Oscar nomination (I feel like it's coming)? And what happened with Amy Adams-how'd she miss here? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Also in 2016: Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay, Foreign Language Film, Animated Feature Film, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Production Design, Cinematography, Costume, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup & Hairstyling, Previously in 2016
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