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Best Actress Performances of 2024

2024 was once again the year when actresses had it much better than actors, which resulted in this superb list of performances. It was difficult to make this list as I had so many great turns to choose from. I eventually went with both foreign and American fare, indie and mainstream films as well as both supporting and main roles to fittingly encapsulate the best of the best that this year had to offer.

5. Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths

Marianne Jean-Baptiste delivered one of the finest actress turns of the entire year and she was sadly snubbed by the Academy. Her Pansy is an instantly memorable character and she is actually very well written. She seems one-note at first, but she becomes humanized in the second act. The actress was thoroughly believable as Pansy, the woman who could annoy you and make you laugh in the span of a single scene. This is one truly impressive turn and I cannot understand for the life of me how she was ignored.

4. Kani Kusruti – Girls Will Be Girls

Kani Kusruti is a renowned Indian actress and she had one hell of a year in 2024. She starred in ‘All We Imagine as Light’, but her turn in Girls Will Be Girls is a much more memorable and layered performance and one of the year’s best. Anila is difficult to sympathize with, but eventually I’d come to understand her on an emotional level, which is a strong testament to the power of the film’s script and her talents as a performer. She did so much here and she fully embodied every single decision and feeling that her character possessed.

3. Trine Dyrholm – The Girl with the Needle

The Girl with the Needle is the scariest film of the year as this chilling thriller masterpiece from Denmark. Trine Dyrholm is one of the main reasons why the movie worked as well as it did. This actress delivered one of the finest villain turns in recent memory. This is the type of character who represents the banality of pure evil. The best kind of terror is wrought from truly immoral and evil humans instead of fictional monsters, which was clearly the case here. Dyrholm was exceptionally creepy and downright horrifying and it’s a shame that this movie wasn’t seen by more people. If it were, people would realize how incredible Dyrholm truly was.

2. Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here

I’m Still Here is one of the best movies of the year, a film about this dignified and brave woman who went through a lot. The woman in question was played so phenomenally by Fernanda Torres. She’s the daughter of the great Fernanda Montenegro and both women are the only Brazilian actresses to ever be nominated for an Oscar and deservedly so. This is a powerhouse performance that is emotionally charged and intimate. Torres effortlessly challenged Eunice’s inner strength as the woman had to take care of her family and put her broken heart aside, which led to an acting turn that is wonderfully subtle and nuanced. In every moment you see a lot of emotional turmoil brewing on her face, which is the testament to her evident acting talents.

1. Mikey Madison – Anora

It was very difficult choosing between these two actresses for the number one spot and they can pretty much be tied all things considered. I went for the number one for this occasion with Mikey Madison, a brilliant young actress who plays the titular heroine in Anora. This role will undoubtedly propel her career in Hollywood going forward as she is exceptional. Anora is this very headstrong and ambitious, but still highly naïve and childish girl who made this impulsive decision that turned out to be a huge mistake for her. This is such a well written character and Madison delivered in both her more dramatic/emotional and goofy/comedic moments, making for one very layered performance. It’s rare to find such a fascinating and complex character and this kind of layered performance from such a young actress in Hollywood and thankfully the Academy recognized that and awarded her with an Oscar.

Honorable Mentions:

Vic Carmen Sonne – The Girl with the Needle – Dyrholm stole The Girl with the Needle from Sonne, but the main actress was still excellent in such a moving and tragic role.

Michelle Austin – Hard Truths – A very underappreciated turn in an underseen film, Michelle Austin went toe to toe with Marianne Jean-Baptiste in such an emotional and deeply empathetic turn.

Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson – Deadwyler was once again snubbed for the Oscar, which is a real shame as she delivered stellar work in The Piano Lesson, stealing the movie from all of the other actors.

Ariana Grande – Wicked – Cynthia Erivo was very strong in Wicked, but it is Ariana Grande who made the film truly memorable and exciting. It is not easy to deliver such a strong comedic turn that is charismatic and charming in equal measure, but Grande managed to do it.

Usha Seamkhum – How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies – This touching Thai drama features one subtle, but emotional performance from Usha Seamkhum in the main role.