Alternate Best Actor 2019: George MacKay in 1917

George MacKay did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Satellite award, for portraying Lance Corporal William Schofield in 1917.

1917 is a virtuoso piece of film-making by Sam Mendes, in his story of two soldiers attempting to make a treacherous journey in order to relay a message to call off an attack during World War I.

I love 1917 as a film that strictly can only exist in the art form of cinema. This in its approach of largely visual storytelling confined purposefully within its run-time to hold you within experience, in again a way only truly possible with film. One of the pivotal choices in this is in its "one shot" technique of a nearly never breaking narrative. This idea goes far beyond a gimmick for me, as its approach forces upon a perspective for a war film we've never seen. This is in any other film, edits can save our character, place them out of view, put them as just part of a tapestry of a battle, but here we are with the soldiers literally in every step of their journey. What takes the choice even further in terms of its success, in that I stopped thinking about the choice and instead of just experienced it. This as forgot "how did they do this" regarding the filmmakers, and just was brought into the question of "how are they going to do this?" referring to the characters of Blake (Dean Charles Chapman) and Schofield's mission. This film, despite being an obvious technical achievement, is not one where the actors are secondary, in fact the performances are fundamental to the film. This is as they are the ones who need to deliver the essential humanity within a story as a focal point, that makes the film beyond an exercise. This though poses the challenge to Chapman, and to a even greater extent MacKay, of basically realizing the character within the narrative, even as the narrative rarely stops moving.

The film begins seemingly with the leader of the duo initially being Chapman's Blake, although any viewers aware of Chapman's output in his young career know that spoilers, he does not have long for the world of the film given he is essentially becoming the young Sean Bean in his character's mortality rates. MacKay's Schofield is initially just following second, the man nearest to Blake, as the two are called upon to fulfill some request. We get initially really what is a fantastic bit of minor interactions between both Chapman and MacKay. Chapman delivering this eagerness of a young soldier new to the front line, while MacKay is fantastic from the outset, as he manages to wear not a man broken by his experiences in the war, though definitely with a distance. In hearing to come along his quick expression of "okay alright" is a man whose come quite accustom to the situation, with a preference in his rest then again walking into something once more. MacKay's work though balances this with sort of a low key cynicism, of not a man whose rejected being a soldier, but just is keenly aware of its dangers. He makes for a proper companion initially with Chapman's more spirited delivery, against MacKay's reactions that emphasize just a practical business as usual sense of a soldier in it for the long run (no pun there).  This dynamic is intensified once they hear of their mission, to make a dangerous journey to call off an attack which otherwise will lead to the death of hundreds of British soldiers, which includes Blake's older brother.

We are then literally off to the race with Chapman portraying the expected rush to make the deadline, despite the route, whereas MacKay reflects the more logical reservations regarding the mission. He speaks not dismissively of the idea of the mission but rather accentuates a quiet cynicism regarding the idea of any mission, where there will be "little resistance" from the enemy. MacKay excels in capturing an essential convincing physical quality in his acting here, in that we see him very much convey this, just as we see Schofield quickly moving to keep up with Blake, he brings that sense of movement as he speaks. He never stops to act, but creates the essential ongoing process of being so fundamentally within the role at every moment. Here, he's terrific in his quiet, yet incisive delivery of  Schofield's hesitations towards the mission. This is as we are moving towards No Man's Land, and MacKay does not lose a moment, in creating not a sense of cowardice but earnest concern within his eyes, that plays so well against Chapman portraying just a far more strict conviction to the mission given his personal connection. It needs to be said what MacKay does is in a way offer the reality against the sort of blind heroics of Chapman's performance, this creating the needed sense of dread as the move towards their first obstacle. Chapman showing the soldier who will do anything to save his brother, meanwhile MacKay establishes Schofield as a soldier naturally concerned with himself, not selfishly, but rather practically, as each word feels measured with history of the war.

The journey begins as the two cross No Man's Land with only the word that the enemy has left, however without any real confirmation of this. This sequence is incredible, with such amazing use of production design, cinematography, sound and score to create part of the tension of the sequence. Perhaps the most essential element though is in the performances, particularly MacKay's. This is as he is absolutely gripping here, with very little dialogue, in being the center point in which Mendes builds the scene around. MacKay delivers an absolute honesty within the situation, in creating the real sense of watchfulness, fear, and wear in trekking through the broken land. There is not a wanted movement or reactions, as MacKay makes the scene all the more vivid, because MacKay only ever shows a real soldier going through this horrifying landscape. When Schofield wounds his hand on barbed wire, and it lands in a corpse, we are with MacKay, in the immediate terror of this, just as we are in hiding from overhead planes, or even the curious sense of discovery in finding the German base. MacKay's work here is essentially silent, but makes the sequence truly tangible by making this a man we are following through this. It also must be said that MacKay is magnetic in a particularly essential way, he not only shows us this reality, but brings us right into it through how gripping he is to watch. He makes us not just watch Schofield, but empathize with him. 

He and Chapman are great in not just being pawns in a vision, as we feel them as men, this in their first close call as they accidentally find themselves near a set German trip wire, which almost kills Schofield. The severity of the situation, as a mine is collapsing around them, is captured by both of Chapman rushing through, with MacKay's terror and anguish at being nearly blind while being led out just barely with their lives. MacKay is fantastic in his punctuation of the scene as the build up his frustrations finally briefly releases at Blake. It is a marvelous moment as MacKay makes it an earned outburst of the man essentially stating a blunt truth of what every mission turns into. Their dynamic, and chemistry though is fantastic in again finding basically the optimist in Chapman's work against the realist that is MacKay. I love the brief scene as the two just get to walk seemingly in a peaceful area, where Blake questions Schofield's dismissive attitude towards a medal he discarded. This coming originally from talking about his likely medal for saving him in the mine, that MacKay speaks with a low key earnest appreciation, before seguing back to his blunt delivering of mentioning the meaninglessness of his own medal. When Blake presses him in near disbelief, I love the moment that MacKay speaks of how it means nothing given he cannot return and stay home, he beautifully underplays this actually, in showing this reserved sorrow, that is palatable, but internalized. This in realizing a soldier who can still perform his duties, however is very much disheartened by the situation.

As much as the two have this disagreement, both actors find just a general warmth in their minor interactions, such as hearing the misfortunes of another soldier involving a rat, creating a real sense of camaraderie between the two. This making the moment in which Blake is mortally wounded by a German pilot, completely heart wrenching. Chapman is great in this scene in portraying the immediate horror of his wound, the searing pain of it that slowly reduces itself to numbness, and his slow pained acceptance of his death. MacKay poignantly facilitates this scene by properly playing with Chapman, in portraying in his eyes the sadness within Schofield for his friend, while his expression manages to show the act of holding his composure to try to comfort his dying comrade. He delivery beautifully accentuating their friendship in his words that denote the severity of it, but finally with his own conviction for the mission as this reassurance to a friend in his final moments. MacKay is outstanding in revealing the grief hit him right after Blake dies, he still doesn't collapse but expresses the loss far more openly now that he no longer needs to comfort his friend. It is beautifully handled, as MacKay shows really the soldier's way of coping, as he depicts a man who is devastated, with the sadness nearly penetrating his surface, however just keeping it together to keep on for his friend. The subsequent sequence of traveling with a convoy, MacKay's face wears the burden of the death in terms of loss, but we also see him lose that hesitation.

MacKay's performance effectively changes to now carry the conviction that had been in Chapman's work, now is found within him fitting to a man who now carries the mission for both. There is this brilliant emotional intensity that MacKay finds that holds together the intensity of the mission, and creates the overpowering sense of determination that Schofield now has to see that the message will be delivered. The second half of the film becomes this near one man show tour de force from George MacKay, as there is something almost mesmerizing in crafting the sense of such a fierce resolve. No action sequence is merely a sequence, as MacKay's work is a constant reminder of the emotional stakes both in terms of his mission, but also the immediate dangers of the moment. MacKay adds such a great power through how his work crafts the reality of each scene. This in creating even in running moments, scenes of the physical burden, the fear of the attacking soldiers, but also with that sense of will to survive. MacKay's work is masterful in terms of creating the sense of wear of each moment. This in not only the physical desperation that grows stronger, but the emotional weight of it all. This in his one brief respite in discovering a French civilian, where there is a real poignancy in the tenderness he brings in the interaction, of just this quiet appreciation MacKay exudes in a man allowed any sense of the goodness in humanity, if ever so briefly. This also though in the sheer exhaustion both physically and mentally, as he stumbles upon corpses at a makeshift dam of a river. MacKay is never taken in by the environment, rather he is an essential part in making every environment, and every sequence so vivid. MacKay does not make them singular, and this is equally important, as his work captures how each does gradually break Schofield down. This as he maintains that determination, that he portrays as this every growing, rather haunting intensity which conveys in this growing 1000 yard stare of a man who can only see his objective. Having watched the film three times now, despite being well aware of the result, his final run to deliver the message never fails to give me chills. MacKay's indispensable in this in his final walk being nearly of a dead man propping himself on will alone, with his voice cracking down through the sheer gravity of so many lives being in his hands. This is easily the greatest performance as a hero of 2019 though, as MacKay does not do this as some superhuman, but just a man doing whatever he can to succeed in his mission. This as every step of it is earned, and we feel the burden of his heroic deed. This right to the moment of the final relief of calling off the attack and finding Blake's brother (Richard Madden). A wonderfully rendered moment by MacKay again, by actually approaching the moment with a subtly of the man finding his bearings once again, and offering again comfort through pulling his emotions, as he had done for the other Blake in his final moments. This is an astonishing performance by MacKay, as he leads this film in the purest sense of the word, capturing the power of its journey, by moving so succinctly with it, but also amplifying  it by bringing to life the needed humanity of the story within his captivating work.