5 actresses not to forget come awards season

Continuing our series on movies not to forget come awards season, Flickreel takes a look at five actresses worthy of an Oscar nomination.

Gal Gadot: Wonder Woman

When audiences first saw Christopher Reeve as Superman or Michael Keaton as Batman, they didn’t see actors playing characters. They saw superheroes brought to life. The same can be said about Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Gadot made Diana Prince leap out of the comics and onto the silver screen, encompassing this iconic character’s strength, humor, and hopefulness. The Academy rarely recognizes superhero movies, especially in acting categories. Personally, though, I don’t want to live in a world where Suicide Squad has an Oscar and Wonder Woman can’t even get nominated for Best Actress.

Holly Hunter: The Big Sick

It’s been well over a decade since Holly Hunter was nominated for an Oscar. She gave her best performance in years in The Big Sick, playing the mother of a young woman that falls into a coma. Hunter exemplifies remarkable range here, creating a supporting character that can be loud and cold while also being vulnerable and warm. She additionally finds just the right balance of heavy drama and lighthearted comedy, much like the movie itself.

Catherine Keener: Get Out

Nothing is what it seems in Get Out and Catherine Keener in particular created one of the most hauntingly two-faced characters of recent memory. As Missy Armitage, Keener played a mother that seems nurturing on the surface. The closer she gets to her daughter’s African American boyfriend, though, the more evident it becomes that something menacing is going on. Keener’s hypnotic performance is well worthy of Oscar gold. If only the Academy didn’t have a horror movie bias.

Rooney Mara: A Ghost Story  

In what might be the most understated performance of the year, Rooney Mara plays a woman dealing with the recent death of her husband. Through body language alone, Mara captures all the turmoil of a person confronted with the sudden shock of losing somebody. The scene where she devours a pie speaks volumes without actually saying anything.

The cast of The Beguiled

Yeah, yeah, I know I’m cheating again by recognizing an entire cast, but The Beguiled was easily one of the year’s best ensemble pieces. Sofia Coppola’s disturbing film centers on a Virginia girls school that’s thrown out of order when an injured solider arrives. Colin Farrell is essentially the token guy in a cast featuring multilayered work from Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and Kristen Dunst. All of them perfectly find that grey area of morality, making the audience question whether they should root for these characters or not. All we know is that we’re witnessing three generations of actresses at the top of their games.

Be sure to check out our roundup of all of the articles we’ve written on subjects pertinent to the Oscars 2018.