Alternate Best Actor 1994: Ben Kingsley in Death and the Maiden

Ben Kingsley did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Dr. Roberto Miranda in Death and the Maiden. 

Death and the Maiden follows a woman kidnapping a man she believes had raped her while she was the captive of a brutal regime. While I do think the film on the whole is effective, it suffers from an uncharacteristically bad performance from Sigourney Weaver as the woman and a mostly bland performance by Stuart Wilson as the woman's husband, also an attorney for the new ministry of justice. 

Well this film only has really three characters, with two of them being not particularly well performed, it leaves Ben Kingsley to pick up the slack. Ben Kingsley initially appears as a man who just gives the husband a ride back to the couples secluded seaside home. As seemingly meaningless as this scene is, Kingsley's performance does begin within this first scene, this when he hears the name of the man that indicates the husband will be one of the men prosecuting the criminals of the previous regime. Kingsley's expression at hearing the news glints a change in the man's thoughts. On initial viewing this may seem rather meaningless, however re-watching with the knowledge Kingsley's performance is one saying the truth of the man, just as it is hidden. This is as his expression changes to a man thinking on the matter before leaving. The man eventually turning, claiming to bring back a left behind wheel to the man, but also supposedly to state his agreement with the attorney's job to find justice for the previous regime. Kingsley's delivery being slightly a little much, purposefully, as a man putting a bit of air of support. This almost too formal in certain respect of the man showing an earnest respect. Again the degree of formality though that Kingsley places on it is perhaps just a man putting it on too thickly, or maybe is a man purposefully trying to hide who he is by agreeing with something that would easily lead to his eventual downfall. Now importantly though when not strictly speaking of politics, Kingsley's performance delivers a more naturalistic bent within the man just casually speaking to the man regarding car breakage or offering some strange counsel to the attorney about his obviously rather emotional wife. These moments importantly suggesting that the doctor may in fact just be some any man with no great secret to hide.

The turn happens though as the wife first steals the doctor's car in order to supposedly find some kind of evidence as she feels she has recognized his voice as the man who tortured and raped her. This leading her to immediately bound and gag him as she prepares to find a kind of revenge for herself, though without actually knowing whether he is in fact the man or not, having only heard him in her time of torture. Where Weaver is bizarrely terrible in her immediate sort of interrogation, hard to call it that as the doctor is initially gagged, Kingsley on the other hand is terrific by playing the scene entirely close to the bone in his reactions. This in presenting a man just absolutely terrified by the place he's in in his reactions, and in many ways having exactly no idea how to react to what is going on beyond him. Kingsley doing so much with his eyes in the moment of the man exhibiting the right sense of confusion within the moment, just as he conveys a sense of the man attempting to figure out what this inquiry is. Even in his eyes though Kingsley conveys an essential nuance as again there is a sense that the confusion could be of a man just sincerely confused at what is going on however there is also the potential for a man perhaps calculating whether he has in fact been caught in his crime. Kingsley grants the right visceral intensity to the moment, though a bit lost by just how hammy Weaver is, however Kingsley strictly finds a reality of the situation. When immediately released from his gag, Kingsley's great through his delivery of capturing the immediate trauma and terror fitting to a man having been tortured and threatened. 

 

Kingsley's performance then becomes basically the central tension of the film, again maybe this would be less the focus if his co-stars were a bit better, but nonetheless Kingsley is prepared for this. Kingsley's excellent in his scene where the attorney begins to sorta believe and interrogates the man himself. Kingsley is able to effectively tip toeing around the truth within his performance. This as he creates the right anger within his doctor that again can be that of a man who is trying to hector those interrogating him away from the truth, or that of a man righteously ticked off over the accusation. Kingsley importantly though even within these moments convey switching his eyes still that palatable sense of fear and desperation of the situation. Again though Kingsley's portrayal of the fear could be that of an innocent for his life or a guilty man for his life. Kingsley is incisive in his portrayal as again there is that duality of his work. This as he could be that of a master manipulator prodding in the insecurities of his captors or that incisiveness of who is in fact an innocent victim pleading for his life best he can. Kingsley's work is compelling in both on initial viewing crafting the question of the man's innocence or guilt, and on repeat viewing seeing the man playing the sides of the situation. When we see first a false confession, pushed by the husband to avoid a killing and the wife for satisfaction, Kingsley is great at being phony. Kingsley giving a stilted delivery of the man going through the motion of a confession in the most matter of fact way. The confession of an innocent man.

As strong as I do think Kingsley's performance is in balancing the sense of potential guilt or not while also making up for his less than compelling co-stars, what makes this a great performance to me is in his final speaking scene. This as the two literally push the doctor to the brink by threatening to kill him by pushing him into the sea. A specific one shot monologue solely on Kingsley. Kingsley is amazing in this scene as it isn't simply just a confession of what occurred by a man confessing the entirety of himself in the moment. This is as he opens with speaking towards a claimed innocence of losing himself to the temptation of the situation. A sadness but also some strange attempted pride as he speaks as a man trying to explain himself. As it continues though this twists itself towards some pride in his deeds instead as he reveals a chilling quality as he speaks of the man. Kingsley speaking with a vile rage at his own pathetic state in dealing with women in reality, and creating in his expression a since of power within the man as he speaks. A violent hatred suddenly, and even a casual quality in speaking of his "experiments" in the situation. The longer Kingsley speaks the more the man reveals himself enjoying the corruption of the state seemingly at the pinnacle of his evil. The ending of the speech is Kingsley at his most brilliant as he creates a juxtaposition. This as he is both unashamed and shameless at the same time. This as when noting "I was sorry it ended" there is a sorrow that Kingsley portrays not of his actions exactly but rather a man who thought himself as a good having fallen so far. The hesitation in his voice hinting at the humanity destroyed while his words showing a man who willingly allowed it to happen. Kingsley is outstanding in the speech as he is indeed chilling, but more so he reveals the entirety of the man's experience of the past in this single speech.