With the year's first quarter over, here's a listicle of noteworthy performances we'll eventually compare to what's to come. We've already listed fav male performances and favtechnical achievements thus far - from screenings and releases as of March 31st. Herewith the 17 best female performances from the year's first quarter, divvied up into three categories. Did these women speak to you?
Disclaimer: I missed The Last Word, United Kingdom, and Wilson which all have prominent female roles for talented actors. If you've seen them give their MVPs a shout-out in the comments.
6 LEADING ACTRESSES
Paula Beer as "Anna" in Frantz
16 more talented women after the jump...
Jessica Chastain as "Antonina Zabinski" in The Zookeeper's Wife
Trine Dyrholm as "Anna" in The Commune
She won Best Actress in Berlinale a year ago for this new film from Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration, The Hunt, Far From the Madding Crowd). The Commune will supposedly open in May this year in the States but it's been delayed before so who knows.
Anne Hathaway as "Gloria" in Colossal
Also: Best Supporting Wig. Despite mixed feelings about this movie the only word I can use to describe the return of Anne Hathaway is "bliss." She's been greatly missed.
Kristen Stewart as "Maureen Cartwright" in Personal Shopper
Anya Taylor-Joy as "Casey" in Split
What a made-for-the-movies face that girl has. See also: The Witch. We hope to be looking at it for a long time on the big screen.
7 ACTRESSES IN SUPPORTING ROLES
Betty Buckley as "Dr. Fletcher" in Split
(I wanna kiss the casting director Douglas Aibel for this. There are so many fine and famous sixty-to-seventy-something actresses in the world that we never get to see anymore so it's always a treat when someone not named Meryl, Glenn, Judi, Maggie or Helen is gifted one of those older lady parts. Variety is the spice of life so let's see some faces we haven't seen for awhile in 2018 films please, Hollywood!)
Betty Gabriel as "Georgina" in Get Out
I know it's a horror movie but they really should campaign her for an Oscar nod. Get started early and push hard.
Shira Haas as "Urszula" in The Zookeeper's Wife
Amy Hill as "Aunt Charlie" in Catfight
Catherine Keener as "Missy Armitrage" in Get Out
Confession: I've been so burnt out on her (because each performance has felt the same for about 10 years now) but this is a much-needed recharge. Wonderful.
Helene Reingaard Neumann as "Emma" in The Commune
Harriett Walter as "Margaret Webster" in The Sense of an Ending
4 ACTRESSES IN LIMITED OR CAMEO ROLES
Erika Alexander as "Detective Latoya" in Get Out
Kaori Momoi as "Hairi" in Ghost in the Shell
Elizabeth Rodriguez as "Gabriela" in Logan
And finally...
Unknown as the arranged date in Menashe
(Possibly not a professional actor, and I haven't seen any cast list but her justifiably combative but also obnoxiously shaming confrontation with the lead is a wonderfully tetchy moment in the film; it's impossible to root for either of them, and they really don't like each other!). Menashe, reviewed at New Directors / New Films will be released by A24 eventually.