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Best Actress Performances of 2022

2022 was a terrific year for actresses and female roles. It was a much better time for them than for the actors in fact. There were a wide spectrum of amazing turns in both supporting and lead roles, so making this list was extremely difficult, but ultimately I went with variety and versatility first and foremost, so here we go.

5. Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin

Kerry Condon delivered the best supporting female performance of 2022. She was terrific as the protagonist’s sister and her story is perfectly juxtaposed with the story of her sibling. She is the one who yearns for change and eventually does leave, which is something that somebody like Padraic could not do in a million of years. Condon effortlessly delivered her character’s frustrations and loneliness. Banshees surely had the best ensemble of the year.

4. Danielle Deadwyler – Till

Till is an important, but flawed biopic. There is, however, one outstanding element to it and that is of course the main performance from Danielle Deadwyler. Constituting easily the biggest Oscar snub in the Best Actress category, her work in this film is terrific. She sold all of her emotional moments through her eyes alone. The heartbreak of the protagonist was deepened even more by Deadwyler’s effortless delivery.

3. Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once

I hate this messy, silly and overrated movie. However, if there is one thing that is actually good about it, it is the acting. The supporting players did a solid job, but clearly the standout here is Michelle Yeoh in one powerhouse performance. She was perfectly cast as the matriarch of the family and she delivered in both the action sequences and the more emotional moments of levity and character growth. She made the movie at least somewhat tolerable to me.

2. Andrea Riseborough – To Leslie

A lot of controversy arose when Andrea Riseborough was nominated over some other favorites, but for anybody who has actually seen the underrated gem To Leslie, this nomination is surely not surprising. Riseborough is incredible in the role of Leslie. She entirely disappeared in the role physically and emotionally, delivering a powerhouse performance that demands viewers’ attention. She particularly excelled at the film’s most emotional moments, making Leslie feel very much real. She’s the heart and soul of this wonderful indie flick.

1. Cate Blanchett – Tar

And the best performance by an actress in 2022 has to be the one that Cate Blanchett delivered in the amazing Tar. This is one of her greatest performances so far and the fact that she still churns them out so forcefully is truly commendable. She escapes in the role, becoming Lydia Tar in the process. She is so authentic and riveting in fact that I genuinely thought that she must be a real person. We’ve all already known what an amazing actress she is, but this actually just might be her career-best work, which says a lot. For all that, she gets the number one spot.

Honorable Mentions:

Margot Robbie – Babylon – A very underrated performance in an underappreciated movie, Margot Robbie was truly a star in Babylon as she was both charismatic and memorable.

Pantea Panahiha – Hit the Road – In this moving Iranian dramedy, Pantea Panahiha delivered the best and most heartfelt performance, especially in that powerful ending.

Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Angela Bassett elevated the role of the superhero mother in Black Panther 2 with excellent delivery of her character’s every speech.

Dolly de Leon – Triangle of Sadness – Dolly de Leon killed it in the role of the everyday woman and a rare normal person in this movie that is otherwise about the one percent.

Gabrielle Union – The Inspection – Playing the homophobic mother so believably, Gabrielle Union stole her every scene in The Inspection, a movie that really needed more of her.