Best Actress in a Leading Role 2017: Ranking

5. Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Blasphemy perhaps, but I was just less impressed by McDormand's work when compared to the rest of the nominees. That said, she is by far my favorite aspect of the movie and she gives a compelling, captivating performance throughout. As per usual she's entertaining but most importantly she powerfully portrays her character's grief and nicely realizes her development over the course of the movie.

Best scene: Her last scene with her husband.

4. Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird

Saoirse Ronan gives a wonderfully spontaneous performance carrying this gem of a movie flawlessly. She's funny, charming, touching and relatable, crafting a character with whom the viewer can easily identify and she works wonders with her exceptional ensemble. 

Best scene: Her fight at home with her parents.

3. Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water

Sally Hawkins delivers a luminous performance that works perfectly in sync with Guillermo Del Toro's direction. She finds the beauty in the character's simplicity and gives a heartbreaking, compelling and enchanting performance from start to finish.

Best scene: The singing scene.

2. Meryl Streep in The Post

The more I think about the movie the less I like it, but Meryl Streep gives one of her most powerful performances here. She gives an empowering and moving portrayal of the emotional journey of a woman coming to realize her self-worth. An incredibly layered, subtle and rich characterization.

Best scene: Katharine stands up to the board members.

1. Margot Robbie in I, Tonya

Coming on top of this exceptionally good line-up is Margot Robbie who gives a transformative and groundbreaking performance as Tonya Harding. She gives an extremely entertaining portrayal of the emotional mess that her character is yet never turns her into a joke: instead, she manages to make us sympathize with the character and understand her actions. It's a brilliant achievement and the last half an hour of her performance is the definition of devastating.

Best scene: Tonya is banned from skating for life.

Honorable Omissions: Vicky Krieps delivers an absolutely marvelous performance in Phantom Thread, subtly conveying Alma's feelings until she turns the tables - and when she does, she's dynamite. She builds the character exceptionally, revealing Alma layer by layer, and she matches Daniel Day-Lewis every single step of the way as together they create an incredibly fascinating dynami (you can find more detailed thoughts on her performance under my review of Lesley Manville's turn in the same movie). Florence Pugh is incredible in Lady Macbeth, beautifully subverting the trope of the unhappily married woman: she is great at portraying the plight that comes from her situation but also her character's cold-blooded drive to escape from it. It's a chilling, mesmerizing portrayal fom a startlingly great newcomer. As much as I loved Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water, I loved her even more in Maudie: not only her physical acting is incredibly convincing and natural, but she also gives a heartbreaking portrayal of her character's yearning to express herself and nailing all of the emotional beats of the part while sharing a brilliant chemistry with Ethan Hawke on top of that. Carla Gugino is amazing in Gerald's Game conveying so powerfully the growing distress and exhaustion of her character while subtly and powerfully exploring her character's psyche: the movie stambles in the third act, but she manages to keep it all together by making the viewer so invested in her personal journey. Dafne Keen is fantastic in Logan, bringing the right amount of badass energy and ferocity to the character while also delivering a very moving portrayal of a kid who never got to live a normal life: her final scenes with Hugh Jackman are heartbreaking. Salma Hayek is wonderful in Beatriz at Dinner, realistically and honestly portraying her character's humbleness and genuine sincerity as well as her intimate, personal plight. She stands as a symbol for the movie's themes and her confrontational scenes with John Lithgow are fiercely compelling but she also gives a three-dimensional, touching performance: her phone call scene is one of the most moving scenes I've seen this year. Emma Stone is great in Battle of the Sexes bringing the right amount of passion and personality to the character. What she is especially good at is conveying her confidence on the tennis court and her vulnerability outside of it, as Billie Jean is still trying to figure out herself. Victoria & Abdul is simply awful but Judi Dench gives one of her best performances in it: she's fun, endearing, strong-willed and moving as the dying Queen Victoria and she manages to be unharmed by the movie's flaws simply due to her commitment to the role. Nicole Kidman's performance in The Beguiled is fascinatingly and chillingly ambigous and she does a fantastic job at subtly conveying the turmoil of Mrs. Farnsworth underneath her strict, domineering façade: her facial expression in the dinner scene towards the end is alone worthy of praise. I absolutely hated mother! but I was extremely impressed by Jennifer Lawrence's performance: even when the movie was at its most frustrating, I thought she gave an emotionally exhausting, committed and raw performance and if I managed to get through the movie is only becuse of the strength of her work. Charlize Theron makes for an excellent action lead in Atomic Blonde, carrying the movie perfectly with her exceptional screen-presence and charisma, and Jane Fonda gives a nice, little, moving performance in Our Souls at Night, sharing a lovely chemistry with Robert Redford. Margaret Qualley is spectacular in Novitiate, portraying her character's confused, tormented feelings with great subtlety leading up: from the moment her character enters the convent to the excellent final scene, her character goes through an incredibly complicated development and Qualley nails every single emotion.

The next year: Either Best Supporting Actor or Best Supporting Actress 2017. What would you all prefer?

My Best Actress Ballot:

1. Vicky Krieps, Phantom Thread - 5/5
2. Margot Robbie, I, Tonya 
3. Florence Pugh, Lady Macbeth - 5/5
4. Meryl Streep, The Post
5. Sally Hawkins, Maudie - 5/5
6. Carla Gugino, Gerald's Game - 5/5
7. Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
8. Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
9. Margaret Qualley, Novitiate - 5/5
10. Dafne Keen, Logan - 5/5