Year in Review: Top 10 Performances of 2015

On Tuesday, I called this the year of the ensemble, and many of the best films of the year were stacked with wonderful performers giving themselves over to a theater-like atmosphere of community and trust. As a result, this year was not overflowing with big, showy, movie-star performances – with one notable exception we will discuss below – and instead, 2015 was a year of talented actors, young and old, delivering the type of subtle, measured work that often goes underappreciated.

The following 10 achievements come from seven very different films, which share in common only the commitment and perseverance of their actors. The characters they play run the gamut from prisoners and spies to survivalists and robots. In each case, though, it is like the audience is witnessing a magic trick, watching as one person disappears and another appears in an instant to transport us to worlds we could otherwise never know.

Before we get to the list, here are five more performances that certainly belong in the conversation for the year’s best: Benicio Del Toro in Sicario; Marion Cotillard in Macbeth; Paul Dano in Love and Mercy; Rinko Kikuchi in Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter; and Günes Sensoy in Mustang.

10. Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald in The Revenant

Hardy has built his career on chameleon-like character work. It is a cliché, but if you had told me the same actor was Charles Bronson in Bronson, Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, Eames in Inception, and Fitzgerald in The Revenant, I simply would not have believed you. Hardy had a magnificent year with turns as Max in Mad Max: Fury Road and the Kray brothers in the critically acclaimed Legend, but those pale in comparison to his portrayal of the antagonist in the year’s darkest adventure story.

Hardy makes Fitzgerald completely unsympathetic while still giving the audience time and space to come around to his point of view. His actions are incredibly self-serving and cowardly, but one may never question his will to survive. For a film that is all about the triumph of the human spirit against impossible odds, Hardy is the kind of fearless actor who dares to show us the dark side of the human spirit. Fitzgerald is not evil, just weak, and Hardy’s performance is that much stronger for the choice.

9. Jacob Tremblay as Jack in Room

This may be a bit of a mild spoiler for Room, so if you have not seen it, I insist you run out and see it as soon as you can, then come back and finish up the list – or you know, just skip to the next entry. Everyone else still here? Okay. The moment Jack first meets a real dog might be the most uplifting three seconds in recent cinema history. A boy who until a month or so before had no idea the real world existed meets the animal he has long dreamt of but could never really imagine. It is a moment that reminds us why we watch movies, and its success is all due to the look on Tremblay’s face.

If it were that moment alone, Tremblay might have earned a spot on this list, but from the first scene to the last, the then-8-year-old child star of Room makes the audience feel every second of his experience. He simply radiates childlike wonder, curiosity, and exuberance. In an otherwise bleak tale, he is the shining beacon of light for every other character, but without Tremblay’s mature, controlled performance, the role could come off as too cute or cloying. Instead, it is one of the most memorable elements of an eminently memorable film.

8. Brie Larson as Joy in Room

Joy is the shadow of Jack. She is the one who knows the life she is missing, the life she has lost. She does everything she can to keep Jack sheltered from reality, but the truth is always staring her in the face. She is a young woman who is nearly destroyed by the contradictions she is forced to live with every day, and the only reason she keeps it together is for the sake of her son. Larson embodies this torment with an achingly physical performance that ensures the audience comprehends the torture she endures.

Still just 26, Larson has been appearing onscreen since she was 9 years old – something which no doubt allowed her to connect on a deeper level with her young co-star. Apart from 2013’s Short Term 12, though, she has never had a role as raw as this to sink her teeth into. No one would have doubted the lifelong actress could pull off this part, but even Larson’s most ardent fans and supporters must have been floored by the grit, determination, and strength of this performance.

7. Michael Shannon as Rick Carver in 99 Homes

Albert Brooks has a great speech in Broadcast News about the devil. In it, he says, “What do you think the devil is going to look like if he’s around? Come on! Nobody is going to be taken in by a guy with a long, red, pointy tail.” It is my favorite scene in one of my all-time favorite movies because it gets at a core truth about people. We do not fall prey to evil because we are evil ourselves. We fall prey because evil is often seductive and alluring. Carver is a bad guy who rarely acts like a bad guy. He comes off as a pragmatist and an opportunist, but few of us could identify him as evil, which is what he is.

By walking that line and never betraying the darkness inside the character, Shannon pulls us into a web of deceit and treachery the way only a true villain can. He is inviting rather than menacing. He is calm rather than raging. While the world collapses all around him, Shannon portrays Carver as a man who will sit back and wait for it to finish, then go collect the deeds on the rubble. I have said before that along with Michael Fassbender and Leonardo DiCaprio, Shannon is one of the best actors of his generation, and with performances like this, I do not think I will be proven wrong any time soon.

6. Tom Courtenay as Geoff in 45 Years

Courtenay is an absolute acting legend who could have had any career he wanted. In 60 years of screen work, he has just 51 credits and often has gone years between film or television gigs, preferring instead to focus on the stage. Considering the universal acclaim he has enjoyed, things have not worked out too badly for him. For the rest of us, as people who mostly cannot make to British theater productions very often, we are surely missing out. Nowhere is that more evident than in Courtenay’s stellar work in 45 Years.

The audience never meets Geoff before the opening scene of the film changes his life forever, but through Courtenay’s portrayal, we are able to understand the kind of man he was and the kind of man he has become. We see him lost in thought, sulking, sullenly contemplating the five decades of his life since his first love died in an accident. Yet, Courtenay also gives us glimpses of the loving husband and anarchic spirit that are buried by unexpected news from the past. We cannot exactly root for Geoff, but because of Courtenay, we can certainly understand him.

5. Alicia Vikander as Ava in Ex Machina

Last year was a remarkable breakout year for Vikander, who appeared in the critically lauded Ex Machina, Testament of Youth, and The Danish Girl. She does not look to be slowing down in 2016 with Derek Cianfrance’s highly anticipated The Light Between Oceans, a new Wim Wenders film, and a role in the next Bourne film. If she is not a household name by now, she should be by the end of this year, and she has earned it, not only by starring in quality films but by generally being one of the best aspects of those films.

Her performance as Ava is so studied and mannered it is almost otherworldly, which is the point. She is a humanoid robot meant to test our capacity for telling the difference between a human and a machine. The question of whether Ava has what we would call a soul is the central drama of Ex Machina, and Vikander’s portrayal of this alien being keeps the audience in the dark right up to the final frames. Meanwhile, we are as transfixed by Ava as the characters, and that is due to Vikander.

4. Yana Novikova as Anya in The Tribe

The Tribe is a swirling maelstrom of rage and disaffection, and at the center of all this pain is Anya. The plot may revolve around Sergei (Grigoriy Fesenko), the new arrival at a boarding school for the deaf, but Anya is the film’s soul. We cannot know how long she has been a part of this makeshift society, but we can see how she has accepted her place in it. There is a gang that runs the school, and she is simply a cog in their machine. She wants out, but she knows no matter where she goes, her options are limited, so she stays.

Novikova is heartbreaking in the role. Like most of her co-stars in the film, Novikova is deaf and had never acted before The Tribe. Her performance makes one wish there were more call for deaf actors. Hell, someone should probably just write a movie around her. Every moment she is onscreen in this essentially silent film, your eye is naturally drawn to her. Almost without uttering a single noise, she brings you into Anya’s world of disappointment and lost innocence. There is no comparison in cinema history for this work, and this is just as well because the performance is incomparable.

3. Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass in The Revenant

I talked about this a bit in my review of the film, but I am going to repeat myself here because I want to be very clear. Apart from it generally being an honor, DiCaprio does not care if he wins an Academy Award. The cynical among the film commentariat would have you believe his choice of films and roles is influenced by a burning desire within him to win a small gold statue. Consider this, though: Maybe his choices are informed by a sincere wish to do amazing work. Wouldn’t that be novel – sincerity?

It seems necessary to repeat this because some have criticized DiCaprio’s performance in The Revenant as simply Oscar bait. If these critics mean DiCaprio’s physical and mental dedication to portraying the grueling journey made by Glass is the kind of performance the Academy often awards, they are correct. DiCaprio should win an Oscar for his wholesale transformation from famous actor to frontiersman, and if he does, some will deride that victory, but they will be wrong. DiCaprio’s portrayal of Glass is career-defining work by an actor at the height of his powers.

2. Mark Rylance as Rudolf Abel in Bridge of Spies

Like Courtenay, Rylance is a brilliant British actor who has devoted himself to the theater, earning multiple Tony and Olivier (the British version of the Tony) awards in the process. He has just a handful of screen credits, but after his turn in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, you can expect that to change. In fact, Spielberg has already brought Rylance on for his next film, The BFG, a dark children’s literature adaptation. I do not have to see it to know Rylance will be amazing in it. Rylance delivering an awesome performance is a fact of life, like the sun rising or a stone sinking.

Abel is a suspected Soviet spy who is captured and railroaded through the court system, not because it is just but because the institutional fear of communism demands it. His lawyer, James Donovan (Tom Hanks), is incensed by this miscarriage of justice, but Abel remains cool. Rylance plays Abel as a studious man at peace with the things he has done and the consequences thereof. When Donovan asks if he is scared, Abel asks in return, “Would it help?” It is a wonderful line, and Rylance sells it with the calm conviction of a condemned man who has done nothing but follow his conscience.

1. Charlotte Rampling as Kate in 45 Years

This could be nothing else. From the minute this film ended, I knew I had just seen the performance of the year by a living legend of European cinema. Rampling has created indelible characters her whole career, from The Night Porter to The Verdict to Swimming Pool, but the most remarkable thing about Kate is how unremarkable Rampling is able to make her. Kate’s life has pretty much gone according to plan. She met a man, got married fairly young, became an apparently well liked school teacher, and retired to the countryside with her beloved husband. By all indications, hers is a dream life.

At the start of 45 Years, the dream is over, and Kate wakes up. For an hour and a half, we watch as this woman’s fragile existence is torn apart from within and without, and Rampling’s performance turns an otherwise low-key marriage drama into a Shakespearean tragedy. Every note of pain and remorse registers on Rampling’s face, and she uses her body the way other actors use a monologue. There is not a false note or wrong step to be found in Rampling’s portrait of a woman grappling with the lie at the center of her life and searching for the strength to face the truth.

Check back tomorrow as we conclude our Year in Review series with Last Cinema Standing's Top 10 Films of 2015.

Spirit Awards: Where indie still means indie

What a difference a year makes. On Tuesday, Film Independent announced its nominees for the annual Independent Spirit Awards. Last year in this space, I wrote about the general trend of the Independent Spirits toward more Oscar-friendly films, but this year, the nominated films and performances are nothing if not fiercely independent. That is not to say there are no likely awards heavies in the lineup, but there is more than a fair share of movies that probably will not get anywhere near the Academy Awards.

The nominees for best feature are Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson’s stop-motion Anomalisa, Cary Fukunaga’s African war story Beasts of No Nation, Todd Haynes’ beautiful tale of forbidden romance Carol, Tom McCarthy’s masterpiece Spotlight, and Sean Baker’s experimental Tangerine. All six of those directors also were cited in the best director category and are joined by David Roger Mitchell for the retro-horror It Follows.

Last year, four of the five best feature nominees ended up nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars (Birdman; Boyhood; Selma; and Whiplash), a feat that is unlikely to be repeated this year. Of these, Spotlight is rightfully among the frontrunners for the Academy Awards, but only Carol among the others has a realistic shot at Oscar glory. Let’s take a look at each of these films and break down their merits and possible awards futures.

Anomalisa – Kaufman, an Academy Award winner for co-writing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is the marquee name here for cinephiles, but Johnson has the animation chops likely to make this film memorable. For Community fans out there, Johnson directed the magnificent “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” episode.

This is the only film in the lineup I have yet to see – hopefully that will be rectified next week, though the film does not hit theaters until the end of December – but with these two attached, it is highly anticipated, which I wrote about here. As for the Academy, this might be a little too out there for any of the top categories, but a Best Animated Feature nomination is not out of the question.

Beasts of No Nation – A harrowing tale of child soldiers in war-torn Africa, Fukunaga’s film might be most notable for its unusual release strategy. A Netflix Original film, Beasts of No Nation was released to theaters and on the movie streaming site on the same day, alienating a number of larger theater chains. As a result, the movie was locked out of theaters in most of the country, screening only in independent cinemas. The film, which likely works better on the big screen, deserved a better fate, but its quality will carry it through the awards season.

It is a fair question to ask whether filmmakers will embrace this new distribution model or reject it and hold it against the film. The Independent Spirit nominations, however, bode well for its chances, including in the technical categories, where it would not be out of place. Fukunaga also adapted the film from its source novel and served as the director of photography, and he would make for a handsome nominee in either category at the Oscars.

Carol – I wrote at length about Haynes’ exquisite film here, and it is not surprising to see a film this well acted and this superbly crafted lead the nominations list with six, including notices for both its lead actresses, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. If the independent film community rallies around Carol, which it seems like it will, the film could be a threat in a number of top categories at the Oscars.

Spotlight – As I said in my review, McCarthy’s exploration of the investigation into the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal is hands down the best American film of the year (so far) and an undeniable masterpiece. Carol is definitely the flashier film, but Spotlight is an unimpeachable achievement in filmmaking. A number of pundits have it down as the Best Picture frontrunner, and it deserves to be. As for its independent bona fides, McCarthy is a hero of the independent film community after his fantastic The Station Agent, The Visitor, and Win Win showed the best of what the community can accomplish.

Tangerine – Every year, there is a film firmly in the awards discussion that just passes me by, and it seems Baker’s sordid story of transgender prostitutes in L.A. is the one this year. I do not see what others see in this highly regarded and critically acclaimed film. Tangerine is a testament to the democratization of filmmaking in its low-budget, low-fi origins, but I simply found nothing to like in its story or craft. It would be one of the biggest shocks of the year for me if it were read out in any category on Academy Awards nominations morning.

Jacob Tremblay and nominee Brie Larson in Room.

Regarding the rest of the Spirit Awards nominees, there are a number of pleasant surprises and less pleasant omissions. First, the gripes: The excellent 99 Homes, Room, Love and Mercy being left out of the best feature and best director categories is an unfortunate oversight, though each picked up a single acting nomination; about those single acting nominations, though, Jacob Tremblay belongs in the supporting actor category for his great work next to nominee Brie Larson in Room, and I would have liked to see Elizabeth Banks in supporting actress for Love and Mercy.

For the good, I was happy to see Michael Shannon recognized in supporting actor for 99 Homes, and the best international film list includes two of my favorite films this year, Mustang and A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence. Spotlight deservedly will receive the Robert Altman Award, given to the best ensemble cast of the year, an inarguable distinction for a film built on the strengths of its remarkable actors.

Overall, it is an exciting and eclectic list that reflects the best intentions of the nominating organization. Per tradition, the Independent Spirit Awards ceremony will take place the night before the Oscars, Feb. 27, 2016. Check out the full list of nominees here.

New movie review: Room

Brie Larson stars as Joy in director Lenny Abrahamson's daring, excellent Room.

It is hard for us to see as a victim sees. We have trouble putting ourselves in the mind of someone who has experienced great trauma, and it is as much a protective measure as it is a flaw in our ability to empathize. To understand pain is to feel it, and in a culture that spends a great deal of money, time, and effort looking for ways to numb itself, the last thing we are likely to seek out is pain.

Movies are especially bad at conveying meaningful suffering because cinema is a medium of action, and the word “victim” itself implies passivity. A victim is one to whom something happens, so films that otherwise would focus on victims instead search for other stories to tell. For instance, movies about kidnappings are almost always about the kidnapper, the cops, or the families and never about the experience of the one who has been kidnapped.

If Lenny Abrahamson’s stellar Room is any indication, Hollywood has been missing out. Emma Donoghue adapts her own novel to tell the harrowing story of a woman and her son held captive for seven years in a single room and the lengths to which she goes to protect him from the horror of their situation. The film is a penetrating investigation into despair, suffering, and ultimately hope.

Brie Larson is Joy, abducted at 17, and Jacob Tremblay is the 5-year-old Jack, who was born into this life. The first half of the film is essentially a two-hander between these two actors, and both deliver transcendent performances. Larson’s career to this point has been defined somewhat by small parts in good films and big parts and great performances in films of lesser quality. Here, she finally gets a showcase worthy of her talents, and she more than rises to the challenge.

Joy is a woman forced to grow up under the direst circumstances – imprisoned, subjected to repeated sexual assaults, and cut off entirely from the outside world. She is clearly strong, but something inside her has been broken by the experience. However, in her son and her desire to shield him from the realities of their life, she finds a reason to carry on. She creates a world inside the room for the two of them, and in this imaginary world, Jack finds stability, comfort, and something resembling happiness. These feelings, however, are as imaginary as the world Joy creates, and she knows it, so she resolves to break them out.

The film’s centerpiece is the escape sequence, and it is among the most thrilling and emotionally draining scenes you will see this year. It plays like a prison break, but the stakes are infinitely higher because we have grown to care so much about these characters through the first hour of the film. We desperately want them to succeed because the fundamental nature of their situation offends our sense of justice. They do not belong in this place. The room is an inherent wrong, and the world is a worse place for its existence.

Abrahamson, who directed last year’s excellent, though wildly different, Frank, expertly manipulates our sense of time throughout the escape. Though it may take up only five minutes or so in real time, the soundscape, camera angles, and editing extend the characters’ agony – and by extension, ours – into a white-knuckle experience that seems to last forever. Until the escape attempt, the audience has been stuck inside the room with Joy and Jack, so our first venture into the outside world is as disorienting as theirs.

Jacob Tremblay in Room.

Even inside the room, Abrahamson is able to find clever angles and camera moves that ensure the film is as visually interesting as it is emotionally hard-hitting. By choosing to shoot the majority of the action from Jack’s point of view, Abrahamson and cinematographer Danny Cohen offer the audience a perspective often imitated but rarely captured in cinema – the world through the eyes of a child.

Because Jack has been spared the worst of the emotional toll of the room, he is mostly free to view life as a wondrous range of new experiences, and Tremblay is startlingly good at conveying this. If Larson’s Joy represents the broken pieces of a shattered world, then Tremblay as Jack is what the world looks like when all the pieces come together again – the fun, the innocence, the fear, and the hope for a better future. He is all of this wrapped in one, and Tremblay communicates this at times with little more than a smile or a small gesture of openness. It is a glorious thing to watch.

From a storytelling standpoint, the filmmakers, in particular Abrahamson and Donoghue, make the right decision to approach the story from Jack’s point of view. A film told from Joy’s point of view would be almost too excruciating to watch. Room does not rub our noses in suffering or toss us headlong into a pit of despair, but it does not look away. Most of us will never know the traumas of Joy and Jack – though their story is quite real for untold millions the world over – but Room brings us painfully and terrifyingly close to the edge.

See it? Yes.