A series by Juan Carlos Ojano
Deception, isolation, and desperation are just some of the common threads that connect the characters of this year's Best Actress nominees and the narratives in which they are situated. The curious element of the lineup is that, aside from one (Gravity), all of the nominees are featured in films from the comedic genre, whether it be a crime comedy (American Hustle), a cynically humorous character study (Blue Jasmine), a heartwarming dramedy (Philomena), or an acerbic, tragicomic family portrait (August: Osage County). That must be a rarity in any acting category, right?
Are you ready? The year is 2013...
Amy Adams as Sydney Prosser/Lady Edith Greensly in AMERICAN HUSTLE
Directed by David O. Russell / Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
After Irving (Christian Bale) enters a room in what seems to be a covert recording session, Sydney (Adams) makes her entrance. He turns as she slowly walks towards him. Intense stares at each other, no dialogue at all. And then boom: Richie (Bradley Cooper) comes in and starts throwing questions at the other man while Sydney attempts to mediate between the two.
In Russell’s swirling take on a true crime saga, Adams is positioned as a quiet force, taken for granted a lot of times (even by both men sharing the scene with her), but perhaps the most cunning one. While the clash of masculine ego is forefronted,Sydney’s tacit negotiation speaks to the gender dynamics of the time while also telling of how she navigates a world that doesn’t always see her as a powerful presence. Her vision for herself is clear and the fight within her is formidable. Perhaps Sydney does not always call attention, but Adams, through her introduction, makes you look closer. There are indecipherable layers to this woman that will reveal themselves as the story progresses.
Cate Blanchett as Jeanette “Jasmine” French in BLUE JASMINE
Written and Directed by Woody Allen
First scene of the film. Jasmine (Blanchett) talks to an old woman who is her seatmate on a flight, recalling the details of meeting her husband. After landing, she rambles about her sex life. While descending the escalator, she discusses her medications. While waiting for her baggage at the carousel, she shifts to talking about her sister. The old woman leaves confinding to her husband that Jasime "couldn’t stop babbling about her life”.
With Allen’s rhythmic writing and understated direction, Blanchett’s embodiment of Jasmine is immediately on full swing. Economically stringed scenes of her just talking to a reluctant listener already inform us of her self-centeredness and her need to tell her own narrative. But one also gets a hint that this is not just a mere calculation. In fact, Blanchett’s neurotically hurried talking suggests one who is lacking control and is perhaps one or two steps away from breaking apart. Her first story will come full circle in the film’s final sequence, with the bookending sequences mirroring each other. What we see in both instances is a woman speaking to herself, regardless of whether she has company or not.
Sandra Bullock as Ryan Stone in GRAVITY
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón / Written by Alfonso Cuarón and Jonas Cuarón
Opening sequence. The face of the Earth. Slowly, a space vehicle emerges. We hear a crew member calling Dr. Stone’s (Bullock) attention about her ECG readings. She says she’s fine (she repeats this assertion quite a number of times). Stone proceeds to discuss the work she’s doing with the hardware upgrades. As we get closer, we see an astronaut (George Clooney) flying around while conversing with the other members of the crew. As she continues her work, the hardware upgrades continue to not yield favorable results.
Cuarón’s vision already puts Man’s seeming insignificance and its chances for survival on a colossal disadvantage to the vastness of space. This is even further magnified by the choice to introduce Bullock’s Dr. Stone through a gradual unveiling. A voice, then an unnoticeable presence, only to reveal her face. This puts the size of the character (literally and figuratively) at odds with her environment, and yet, this further accentuates the against-all-odds journey that she will face in the film’s narrative. Her opening line also shows her determination in her work despite her personal issues, hinting at where the text will take her.
Judi Dench as Philomena Lee in PHILOMENA
Directed by Stephen Frears / Written by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
Philomena (Dench) lights a votive candle inside a church. Later, while sitting, it is revealed that she is the only person inside. She sits quietly and with a pensive look on her face.
A simple character introduction that speaks a lot. Firstly, this scene comes after the film’s other protagonist, Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) walks out of mass and says “I don’t believe in God”. Meanwhile, Philomena professes her faith in solitude. The contrast puts these two characters at odds, demarcating what will become a quasi-antagonistic banter between the two once they band together in their quest. Moreover, despite what the church authorities did to her life (separated her from her child), she is a woman of faith. Despite everything that has happened to her, Philomena's faith and devotion persist.
Meryl Streep as Violet Weston in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Directed by John Wells / Written by Tracy Letts
Bev (Sam Shepard) talks to someone off-screen about his wife and the nature of their marriage. A photo of her in her youth is seen on the table. Intercut with this is Violet (Streep), hair loss accrued from cancer treatments, getting up the bed and struggling to make her way downstairs. As she looks for her husband, she shouts with weary rage until he sees the person Bev is talking to: Johnna (Misty Upham), a Cheyenne woman applying for a position as househelp.
Three things are established right away. First, Violet has a fractured relationship with her husband. As he says, both have their own demons to deal with. It’s a marriage less of convenience and more of compromise. Second, Violet’s domineering presence is countered by her physical frailty. A contrast that will prove to be vital once the matriarchal role in the house is shaken by her own daughter (Julia Roberts' Barbara, not in the scene). Third, despite stumbling as she moves, Violet spits venom with every step like it is second nature, making her a repellant force that foreshadows her isolation by the film’s denouement.