2010 

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO ...

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Annette Bening in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

"Annette Bening gives a poignant performance that embarks the audience to live with her a great emotional journey."

★★★★★

Jennifer Lawrence in WINTER'S BONE

"Jennifer Lawrence delivers a haunting and complex performance with so much realism and full of empathy."

★★★★★

Natalie Portman in BLACK SWAN

"Natalie Portman, in a very emotionally and physically challenging performance gives a tour de force."

★★★★★

Nicole Kidman in RABBIT HOLE

"Nicole Kidman puts her soul in this film and gives an emotionally challenging performance.

★★★★★

Michelle Williams in BLUE VALENTINE

"She faces any challenges and gives once more one of the most realistic, convincing and authentic portrayal."

★★★★★

                                             THE CONCLUSION                                                

2010 was an incredible year for actresses, and those five actresses were the best that year, but I would have maybe replaced Annette by Julianne Moore. Everyone in this line-up gave a very intense performance. The ranking was difficult to make, especially in the top three, but Michelle Williams is hands down my pick, she doesn't give a performance, she doesn't act, she embodies Cindy, in a way I have rarely seen on screen. Natalie Portman and Nicole Kidman are really close to Williams, each one probably gave the best performance in their respective career, I put Kidman ahead because even if Natalie is exceptionnal, I think the role of Nina Sayers is such a showy and rich role that any talented actresses could give at least a fine performance with it. Jennifer Lawrence is a real surprise, she's clearly one of my new favorite actresses, and I really want to see what she will do next. Annette Bening really impresses me. Usually, I'm not fond of her acting, but here, she's really great. The Competition was so hard that year, everyone gave an Oscar calibre performance.

                                   THE ACADEMY AWARDS and ME                                      

    NEXT YEAR: THE NEW BANNER AT THE TOP IS AN EASY CLUE.

NICOLE KIDMAN  

as Becca Corbett in RABBIT HOLE (2010)
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Becca and Howie Corbett are a happily married couple whose perfect world is forever changed when their young son is killed by a car. Becca tries to redefine her existence in a surreal landscape of well-meaning family and friends. Painful, poignant, and often funny, Becca's experiences lead her to find solace in a mysterious relationship with the teenage driver of the car that killed Danny. The Corbetts, both adrift, make surprising and dangerous choices as they choose a path that will determine their fate... 

"It feels like maybe I don’t feel badly enough for you! Maybe I’m not feeling enough! What do you want from me?"

                                         - Becca Corbett

Nicole Kidman received her third and last Academy Award nomination to date, playing Becca Corbett, an executive-turned-stay-at-home mother who tries to redefine her life after the death of Danny, her 8 years old son. Nicole Kidman delivers a raw and complex portrait, her performance is unbearably authentic and human. She allows herself to go in some dark places to find the right amount of subtlety and truth. She is not overacting, she stays simple and gives a quiet, but also powerful interpretation. Nicole Kidman doesn’t have to cry or yell to show any emotions. Her performance is so real and palpable, that she easily makes us feel her sorrow and her struggle. Nicole Kidman takes the right decision staying quiet and calm.

It’s a big change in comparison to other actresses who think you need to scream and cry to play a grieving mother. She keeps everything inside her, she is struggling with her emotions, she doesn’t know how to deal with them. Nicole Kidman is one of the most versatile actresses and a favorite of mine, she’s unrivaled in her ability to play cold, distant and emotionally scarred characters. Her performance is down to earth, very haunted and heartbreaking. Her chemistry with Aaron Eckhart (Howie, her husband) is stunning. Their relationship seems so true and real, each contributes significantly to the complexity of the situation. They are grieving differently, Becca wants to remove Danny’s things and sell their house whereas Howie is angry at Becca’s elimination of anything that reminds them Danny. From the same event, they grow separately, this situation is very well played by both actors. We can say the same things about her relationship with her mother (played by Dianne Wiest) and the one with the boy who has accidently killed her son (played by Miles Teller).  In fact, her performance in this film is nothing short of spectacular. 

"Kidman grabs the central focus of the story as the more distraught of the two. The performance is riveting because she essentially plays the entire film at two levels, the surface everyday life and then what is turning over and over again in her mind."

                                                                                               - The Hollywood Reporter

No one has put a better performance on film as a grieving mother than Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole". The film is a real showcase for her, it allows her to show all her range of emotions. Nicole Kidman puts her soul in this film and gives an emotionally challenging performance. 

★★★★★

2010 

AND THE NOMINEES FOR THE BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE ARE ...

• Annette Bening in The Kids are all right
• Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole
• Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone
• Natalie Portman in Black Swan
• Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine 

What do you think  ?  Your Prediction  ?  Your Ranking  ?