It is no secret that the Oscars get more things wrong than right, that they are driven towards easily accessible and emotionally clear performances. Yes, every year a dark and challenging performance will sneak in and be recognized but let’s not kid ourselves, when those performances sneak it is either because a young beautiful actress is headlining them (i.e. Rooney Mara and Natalie Portman) or the performance is just too good to be ignored (i.e. Mo’Nique). I’ll never understand their need for reassuring and friendly performances, because while some of them are great I believe that the really challenging ones are even greater. 2011 gave us a slew of challenging performance that made us depressed and euphoric, but more importantly they revealed something personal and interesting about the human condition.

Here are, in my opinion, the best performances of 2011 that must never be forgotten.

7. Albert Brooks in Drive.

If some films didn’t have villains their greatness would be in serious jeopardy. The Oscars rarely recognize villainous roles and unless the performance is too big, they will ignore it. 2011 had some amazing villains, but the one that took the top prize alongside Tom Hiddleston’s Loki was Albert Brook’s Bernie Rose. Picture Drive without Brooks? Be honest, the film would not be as good. Brooks was absolutely fantastic as Bernie Rose and he milked that character for all it’s worth. That performance is menacing, fun, smooth, challenging, unpredictable, exciting and so much more all at the same time. He is the perfect opposite to Gosling’s quiet Driver and it is downright criminal to ignore such a scene stealing performance.

6. Andy Serkis in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

The debate about whether motion capture is real acting or not, is in my humble opinion absolutely pointless and redundant. Motion capture is real acting and Serkis has proven it time and time again. He made Gollum into a flawed villains we all loved to hate, he made King Kong into a emotional and engaging character and with Ceaser he reaches an all-time high. The reason why this film works so well is because of Andy Serkis. Serkis brings such a depth and emotion to Ceaser that every time he’s on screen we are instantly drawn to him, he made us care about the apes and cheer as they destroyed the stoic and cruel humans. With that mind, also consider the physicality of his performance and how Serkis is the one running around and become a full flesh ape. Watch the behind the scenes feature of the film and tell me that isn’t acting, tell me that what he does isn’t more challenging than what any of the other nominees this year did. Serkis performance showcases the future and while motion capture will not obliterate normal acting, we should start recognizing its prevailing power.

5. Charlize Theron in Young Adult.

As I’ve said before, Theron’s performance as the very unlikable and cruel Mavis is a polarizing performance that reveals a lot about people. In an actress roundtable, Theron expressed how she preferred for people to empathize with her performance/character than to reject it or feel sorry for her. A lot of people seemed to have opted for the latter reactions, while a few others chose the former. The truth is that there are people in this world like Mavis and our immediate reaction would be to punch them in the face, but once one attempts to understand why they are the way they are one can now see things differently. Those people that enjoyed and praised Theron’s performance are those who empathized with her, because once you understand the character the greatness of her performance becomes clear. Theron nails everything in that performance from her intimidating “no fucks given” glares to those moments when you see how vulnerable and wounded Mavis is. Is it her best performance? It doesn’t matter, what matters is that she does something different and asks to see things from the perspective of the a type of person most us hate.

4. Kristen Dunst in Melancholia.

It is unfortunate that Lars von Trier pretty much shot Melancholia in the face with all those Nazi jokes, because this film and especially this performance by Kristen Dunst are career highs for both of them. I have never seen depression portrayed in such a devastating and hard to understand way. Dunst gets down to the core of it and to see her downward spiral is both heart-breaking and beautifully impressive. The numbness that her character feels is expressed by her body language and how it seems like something is pressing over her body at all times. Some people didn’t like her character and said she was just crazy, but I’d like to punch this people in the face and then tell them how closed minded they are being. Jus like Melancholia, Dunst performance is one that must be watched multiple times in order to discover all the layers present. If one felt the impending death of Earth just like Dunst’s Kristin does, one would understand why she does and acts the way she does. It’s a beautiful, thoughtful and provocative from an equally marvellous film that genuinely deserved recognition.

3. Tilda Swinton in We Need To Talk About Kevin.

Swinton is a chameleon and she has made her mark for delivering very challenging, dark, dynamic and difficult performances. In here she reaches a new high and I presume the main reason why a lot of people didn’t seem to like her was because her performance revealed something about parenting that no one wants to acknowledge. One thing is to be a parent and not be fit for it, but an entirely different thing is to be a parent and not want to be one. Swinton’s Eva is a mother who even though tried to care for her son, ends up really despising him for all the horror and pain he constantly inflicts on her. It’s understandable why Eva would show such animosity towards Kevin, but at the end of the day the film also shows that Eva still loves her son and is in fact the only person in the world who will stand by him. Swinton’s performance is devastating and downright depressing, but that alongside the fact that it shines a mixed light on parenting is what makes it so great and memorable. 

2. Michael Shannon in Take Shelter.

Take Shelter is easily one of the least seen films of 2011, but anyone who has seen it can tell you how absolutely majestic Shannon is. Shannon, who is known for his menacing presence and bombastic outrages, delivers a subdued performance that is extremely tender and beautifully engaging. His character is by far the most relatable one in this list, as most people can see why a a married father barely making ends meet will attempt to hide and fix by himself his ever increasing paranoia which once revealed will destroy everything he holds dear. Much like the film, his performance palpably builds up tension until it explodes in the dinner scene that is for me one of the most powerful moments in cinema I’ve seen in a very long time. This is Shannon’s best performance to date and urge everyone to go watch Take Shelter by any means necessary.

1. Ryan Gosling in Drive.

After seeing Drive, a lot of people expressed that Gosling didn’t do much in the film and that his performance was effective but nothing special. I strongly disagree with such a claim, as I believe his performance here is the best he has delivered but I understand why would people say that. Gosling’s Driver is an enigma, we don’t know about his family, his upbringing or where exactly he comes from. He also internalizes practically everything, which is why when he reaches his breaking point the acts of violence are brutal and shocking. This is a performance that relies solemnly on body language and one sit yourself and carefully examine him, you start to see the beautiful subtleties in his performance. This character is in fact highly vulnerable and Gosling’s face is actively repressing that vulnerability, but once in a while it surfaces. Gosling does more by saying nothing than most actors around can and the more you watch the film the more you discover.

And that’s it! I know I didn’t include Michael Fassbender for Shame, but we all know he has been ignored and I thought it would be best to turn this subject towards other more criminally ignored performances.

As always, thanks for reading!

In Young Adult, Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is in a rut, she has been recently divorced and find herself unable to finish the last book on her once popular young adult series. She attempts to drown her frustration and somewhat depressive demeanour with alcohol, but once she receives an e-mail of the newborn of her high school ex-boyfriend named Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson) she formulates a plan to find happiness. She travels back to her hometown with the goal of rekindling her love and relationship with Buddy who is currently married and with a kid.

Unlikeable characters are always a tough sell, especially when such a character is none other than the protagonist. It has become evident that characters who display arrogance, selfishness and hurt others will be subjected to scorn and even dictate from the audience. Even if the films portray them as humanistic and provides for some kind of empathy to be achieved, there are still some people who would rather never spend another 2 hours with them, case in point: the people that disliked The Social Network because Mark Zuckerberg was too much of a betraying asshole. That is why I believe that your reactions to characters such as these reveals much more about the type of person you are.

Charlize Theron’s Mavis is a totally selfish and arrogant bitch. If you are not up to her standards she will insult you without reservations and call bullshit on your touchy feelings. However, Young Adult has succeeded at least in my opinion in adequately showcasing why this character is the way she is. I empathized with her, because even though she is an insane cunt there is a longing for happiness beneath that veil of distaste. She’s a flawed character who simply wants relive the best days of her life. Perhaps her way of doing that are cruel and socially unacceptable, but that’s the only way she knows how and it is until she crashes and burns that she finally grows up. It’s hard to empathize with her, but once you do the experience of watching Young Adult is much more fulfilling and interesting.

It would wrong to say that the greatness of this film is thanks to Charlize Theron. Her performance is brilliant and the way she glares at people is both intimidating and hilarious. It’s refreshing to see such careless and unapologetic character, and Theron is able to give her a depth that a lesser actress would’ve never achieved. But another reason why her performance works so well is because of Diablo Cody’s great screenplay and Jason Reitman’s direction. Cody proves yet again that she has unique knack with dialogue and with created incredibly awkward and hurtfully honest situations. Reitman also proves why he is so great, his direction is precise and is full on board on making you cringe at the various situations and presenting you with a different experience.

Young Adult is definitely not a film for everyone. For those who expected the happy-go-lucky and quirky character that Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman delivered in Juno they are going to be extremely disappointed. This film does not give a fuck about quirkiness or innocent character, instead it showcases a truly deposable character that mostly everyone seems to hate. Theron performance is perfect in conveying that sense of arrogance and down right cruelty. However, even with such dislikable traits this film is very humanistic and honest, and by far one of the most interesting things everyone involved has done in a while.

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