2023 Performances Worthy of Oscars
Here
are a few tremendous performances from 2023 that might—but shouldn't—fly under
the radar at awards time.
Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon
Sure, superstars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro deliver electrifying
performances, but Gladstone is the heart of Martin Scorsese's film. In this
true crime thriller, oil is found on land belonging to the Osage Native
American tribe and greedy white men marry the Native American women then murder
them to get their inheritance. Gladstone's character, Mollie, falls in love
with a white man (DiCaprio) whose uncle (De Niro) is at the center of the plot
to steal the land. The actress conveys, sometimes with a simple gesture, that
her character knows what is going on, but, at the same time, doesn't want to
know.
Ryunosuke Kamiki in Godzilla Minus One
When you can hold your
own against famous international movie star Godzilla, you are doing something
right. World War II kamikaze pilot Shikishima (Kamiki) suffers from survivor's
guilt and has to help battle the giant radioactive reptile in post-war Tokyo.
Kamiki's intense performance captures a character struggling with his inner
demons while fighting to stay alive from one serious threat.
Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings
Comedy is hard, but
Lawrence does it with ease with this winning performance as a 30-something who
is hired by helicopter parents to date their introverted 19-year-old son
(Andrew Barth Feldman). Critics sometimes pretentiously throw out "it is a brave
performance," but this is a brave performance, because there is a riotously
funny scene in No Hard Feelings that takes place on a beach at night,
and many actors probably wouldn't do it, but Lawrence does, going that extra
mile to get the biggest laugh in the movie.
Jacob Elordi in Priscilla
In
director Sofia Coppola's film adaptation of Priscilla Presley's memoir
chronicling her marriage to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, Elordi
plays Elvis not as the larger-than-life pop star but as a complex and flawed
human being. Elordi nails the look, voice, and swagger of Elvis but in private
moments. He makes us understand how Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) was captivated by
his charm but also how she was scared of his mood swings as his addiction of
prescription drugs took a hold of him.
