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Best Actress Performances of 2021

The ladies had a much better year than the gents in 2021 owing to a plethora of more interesting roles and incredible movies to boot. For my list, I chose actresses from a couple of different countries and playing in different genres and all performing these very different, but fascinating roles. Here is the list.

5. Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza

Just like Simon Rex was snubbed for his amazing turn in Red Rocket, this year also saw another disregarded by the awards season performance by a newcomer – Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza. This is a singer-turned-actress who is exciting for Hollywood as she came out of nowhere and impressed all those who saw this PTA movie. She is so magnetic as Alana, so confident and so utterly unforgettable that she elevated the movie’s pedestrian script or lack thereof tremendously.

4. Penelope Cruz – Parallel Mothers

Penelope Cruz perhaps delivered her career-best performance in Almodovar’s excellent Parallel Mothers. She really surprised me how effortlessly she carried most of the movie on her shoulders. And it is a demanding, meaty role that asked for a variety of different emotions and the actress delivered each and every one of them. The scene she where she found out about the switch-up was particularly outstanding in her facial acting. I am incredibly happy that even the Academy recognized her great work.

3. Renate Reinsve – The Worst Person in the World

Renate Reinsve delivered one of the best acting performances of this year. It’s a shame that the Academy always fails to recognize the international talents going into the Oscar race, but this performance was undoubtedly worthy of a nomination. She confidently powers through this movie, carrying most of it on her capable shoulders. Julie is an instantly iconic protagonist in the romance genre and Renate played all of her conflicted emotions beautifully, delivering the third best actress performance of the year.

2. Kristen Stewart – Spencer

Before Pablo Larrain’s Spencer, I hadn’t been the biggest fan of Kristen Stewart. To me, she was always a bit too cold and one-note. That all changes with Spencer, a movie that saw her reach enormous acting powers. Her deeply emotional performance is truly incredible to witness. She did a lot of terrific facial acting here and just her eyes spoke volumes about the pain that Diana must have felt during these years. It’s crazy to me that she did not receive more love from awards voters given that this is a rare central performance in a biopic that truly is incredible.

1. Ann Dowd – Mass

The best movie of 2021 is Mass. There is no question about it despite its frustratingly underrated status. The movie is a chamber drama that hinges heavily on its small cast delivering great performances and thankfully they all did deliver tremendous work. The best of the four talents here is Ann Dowd. She imbued so much raw emotion into the meatiest role in the film, resulting in an emotionally complex rollercoaster that was difficult, but important to follow. Every single emotion she perfectly acted out and with so much force and nuance. Thus, she gets the much deserved first spot on this list.

Honorable Mentions:

Lady Gaga – House of Gucci – I found Lady Gaga’s turn in House of Gucci actually an improvement over her work in the more lauded ‘A Star Is Born’. She plays the most interesting character in the movie and she was surprisingly believable and riveting in the role.

Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye – This biopic is tiresome and boring, but Jessica Chastain played the main character with a lot of grace and empathy. She is always outstanding in everything that she does and she made this movie worth seeing just for her.

Ruth Negga – Passing – The finest supporting actress of the year is definitely Ruth Negga. She plays such a fascinating demure woman in the underappreciated Passing that she stole the show even from an excellent Tessa Thompson. She exudes genuine movie star quality here.