Alternate Best Actor 2021: Hidetoshi Nishijima in Drive My Car

Hidetoshi Nishijima did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning NSFCA, for portraying Yūsuke Kafuku in Drive My Car.

 

Drive My Car is potent introspective film about a theater director dealing with the death of his wife while putting on a multilingual version of Uncle Vanya. 

Out of all the performances I've reviewed this year there probably isn't a quieter one than Nishijima's performance in this film. Not only is Nishijima playing a rather quiet man emotionally he also is within a culture that is defined often by not explicitly displaying one's emotions, particularly in public where much of this film takes place in at least some way. Nishijima has a great challenge in that he needs to play everything and I mean almost everything, close to the chest for the majority of the film. That isn't to say his Kafuku isn't going through a lot, in fact, he might be going through too much, however, the navigation of these treacherous waters is through a boat with very few leaks. Within the tight shell though is so much, and a performance of extreme subtlety is perhaps one of the most challenging to pull off yet can often reap the greatest rewards. Take even within the opening of the film where we meet Kafuku first as a theater actor with his wife Oto (Reika Kirishima) who is a television writer. Their relationship is really defined by a few particularly nuanced ideas, and one element where nuanced doesn't seem quite the right word for it. In their interactions in public, such as after Kafuku's performance of Waiting for Godot, there is a sweet smile they share and a generalized warmth. Together though there is a quiet distance that is rather fascinating in their performances. A distance that we learn is defined by their mutual grief of their deceased daughter who died long ago, but the distance isn't a traditional separation. They still seemingly are that loving couple, yet there is something that just isn't quite whole about them even as they do seem to genuinely love each other. This is beautifully articulated in both performances which convey the sense of the shared grief, however, a shared grief that is in a way changed and shifted over years of dealing with it along with dealing with each other. 

The overt connections the two share are in two ways that both seem in a way specifically strange yet are seemingly intensely intimate. The first is that Oto records the other sides of conversations for Kafuku in order for him to practice his stage roles, he does this while driving. Although seemingly a minor thing Nishijima's performance in the scenes of listening to the tapes speaks far more than just a simple memory trick. There's this sense of a natural comfort he has even when speaking the lines of someone in a way appreciating his wife, and his wife appreciating him as he goes about this routine. The other routine of theirs is a little stranger where when the two are having sex Oto will come up with stories that she can't remember, and Kafuku will be able to remind her about them the following morning. The performance of these scenes is actually quite essential, as any sex scene can easily seem very silly if overly exploitative, and actually making it feel something truly intimate between two old lovers is rather remarkable. That is the nature of the scenes here where Nishijima's performance with Kirishima crafts this very unique state between the two. They're both in a state of sexual satisfaction however it isn't typical lust or even aggressive pleasure. What we see instead is this sense of connection within the story as she's in the throws of pleasure within the tale, and Nishijima portrays this manner of guiding her through the story while in a way appreciating both her body and mind while doing so. We see this clear articulation of what one would believe is a one-of-a-kind connection between the two as they explore each other in more ways than one, and seemingly there is this core of what bridges them together in these moments. 

The first tragedy for Kafuku comes when he thinks he's leaving town but plans change leading him to return home to find that Oto is having sex with a young television actor Kōji Takatsuki (Masaki Okada). And here is where you truly see a man who plays things close to the chest as there is no reaction in the moment rather Kafuku leads and finds a hotel almost to cover his tracks to help to ensure that his wife does not suspect that he suspects anything has happened. The greatness of Nishjima's performance is conveying what is going on even as he remains so reserved. Examining his eyes after this scene, and the subsequent scene of just stewing on it in a hotel room, don't create waves of emotion, yet you still wholly sense in there, just obscured by the walls of the reserved man. His following conversation with her is in the delivery where there is now just the slight, ever so slight, put on of normalcy in Kafuku as he's clearly still thinking much about the betrayal. Unfortunately, the second tragedy strikes before any sort of understanding can be reached by Kafuku as he finds his wife collapsed, as she died suddenly. Nishijima's initial reaction is moving in showing the immediate surprise and anxiety of finding his wife unconscious. In the subsequent scenes of the mourning within a group, even with the young man with whom she was having an affair, Nishijima's performance again says so much while literally saying almost nothing. The nuance of his work again is what is so special, as the grief isn't just grief. It isn't just sadness you sense, there is a complication about it. There is sorrow but sorrow transformed by the circumstance. There isn't any sense of closure and there is an innate conflict that stays internalized in Nishijima's troubled brow. 

We break from that situation as the film jumps ahead two years to find that Kafuku is now a theater director and has a job at a multilingual theater company that is putting on Uncle Vanya, the last play Kafuku put on before retiring from being an actor. Nishijima's performance is as this solitary man so much as he speaks with this directness but also even a kind of going through the motions detachment as he takes on the job. Nishijima doesn't portray Kafuku as someone who doesn't care, but he does portray him as someone who is very much isolated within himself. Isolated in terms of the pain being something that he has shared with no one. He has experienced it within himself and stays experiencing it within himself. Kafuku even insisting upon staying his own driver when the company insists, due to insurance reasons, that he must have a driver for the duration of his work. We then follow him in the theater company where Nishijima exudes a quiet authority though not so simple as that when the young television actor, now more so a celebrity Takatsuki appears to audition for Kafuku's production of Uncle Vanya. I think it is pretty fascinating that Nishijima is doing an intense glare but an intense glare that is befitting Kafuku, which he's really looking right into this young man who is part of such a deep pain but keeps it mostly inside. The only initial break coming when during Takatsuki's extremely sexually aggressive audition for Dr. Astrov, the most desired man in Vanya, Kafuku interrupts. Nishijima's tension is so subtle in the moment but still realized, and in some ways a true outburst from a man as reserved as he. 

Although his relationship among the actors in his play will be most important with Takatsuki, I think it is important to also examine the seemingly minor scenes between Kafuku and Lee Yoo-na (Park Yu-rim) the mute actress who plays the role of the very meek Sonya in Vanya. A character who has a natural power to her performance both in and out of character. The dinner scene between her and one of the directors though I think is important because even while there is some stress discussed there's a more potent warmth about. Important to note because of Nishijima's performance in this scene where we see a greater appreciation the man has for her clear purity of intention in her wise purpose for performance, and as much as her power of her performance. This while also challenging Nishijima on treating her potentially differently in some way because she doesn't use a voice to speak with. As much as these moments it is difficult not to look at Park's performance, Nishijima does a lot in these moments in showing the way Kafuku is genuinely impressed and taken aback by her. In both senses we see more from him both in terms of expressing joy in the unexpected nature of the actress, but also while showing these moments of reflection regarding her questions. An important contrast when the conversation moves from her, Nishijima shows Kafuku withdrawing to an extent again, not that he's cold, but there's this specific unwillingness to express, almost by requirement, that is very important in these moments to help reveal the truth of the man. 

That relationship which is in stark contrast to his relationship with his driver initially Misaki Watari (Tōko Miura), a person who I'd say is almost cold and certainly as withdrawn as Kafuku as a person, potentially exacerbated by the fact that she's the technical intrusion on the solitude and the remaining intimacy of his wife which is listening to the recordings of his wife's voice while driving to rehearse his plays. Their relationship initially then is extremely business like as both very much state their purpose and their interactions initially while aren't truly cold, they are very much detached. The nature of the long drive though kind of dictates an unlikely avenue that these two can't remain not too talkative with one another even with the tapes acting as a distraction initially. The two do begin to talk and so much of the power of the relationship is the gradual way this slowly peels away between them. The intriguing element here is that this is very atypically done by both performers. The idea of the employer/employee making a connection, while driving in particular, has been done many times before. This feels very different but also so much more honest than so many by making it this subtle internalized transition in both of them. They share their stories even initially with more informative delivery finding more passion in themselves ever so gradually as they share with one another. Neither make this immediate jump and it is so well articulated in the performances of both Miura and Nishijima. 

The pestering relationship, and in some ways a rather ambiguous one is with Takatsuki, as Kafuku casts the young man not with the desirable Astrov but instead as Vanya, the least desired man in the play. Now how one reads this exactly can be different though watching the film three times I think Nishijima's performance suggests two ideas with this choice. One is it is this kind of revenge in a way to plant him in this impotent character which is supported by the way Nishijima portrays the criticism of Takatsuki when they are rehearsing. His criticism is particularly blunt, not overly venomous, but for Kafuku there's this certain directness about it. He is more focused in his delivery and more cutting while still maintaining this professional manner. The other is that Kafuku is trying to get a read on the young man who was the weapon of betrayal by his wife. Their scenes together are filled with a whole lot secrets and an understated tension. The way Nishijima plays these scenes is brilliant because his eyes are so often examining this man, searching for something in a way. At the same time there is this kind of exasperation in his manner at times as he questions the young man's sexual aggression and generally violent demeanor. Nishijima's marvelous though in that his candor is dismissive yet does still have this sort of mentor's guidance about him in terms of style, as though it is against Kafuku's better nature to truly treat the young man badly, yet can't quite bring himself to forgive him. Instead what Nishijima shows is the older man challenging the younger man on his vices and even the inadequacies as the young man fails to give himself to Vanya in many ways for his performance to work. 

The key conversation of this relationship comes in Kafuku's car, as Takatsuki is given a ride home. Kafuku and the young man basically finally revealing their truths with only some very thin veils between them. Nishijima is amazing in this scene in making this substantial leap into revealing the pains of the character, though still as what one would describe as a deeply reserved man. Nishijima though is far more direct, even nearly impassioned in the moment of trying to suggest to the young man the one thing he thinks he has over him, in that he believes the true intimacy he shared with his wife was through sharing the stories. His description of this going almost into this boast in his performance as he states this with a certain confidence in his voice, though his physical presence has a certain awkwardness of a man doing something that is against his nature. Just look at the way Nishijima breathes in this scene and you'll see a masterclass of subtlety in the way he holds a breath or releases, speaks much to what Kafuku is going through emotionally as he speaks this. Holding a breath as though he's uncertain of the reveal, but then finding breath when putting more of his story out in this striking confidence. I love the moment where Kafuku accuses Takatsuki as directly as possible, while still being indirect, however the directness is in Nishijima's direct intense stare that is unlike anything we saw in the man the rest of the film. His anger is here, even as he doesn't even raise his voice, it is all in the eyes. Watch Nishijima then when Takatsuki really reveals the greatest betrayal when not only does the young man know the story, he actually knows more of the story than Kafuku. Again Nishijima portrayal of sheer devastation is uniquely internalized yet so palatable. The way his eyes downturn, his confidence and aggression of before gone, and this sadness in the man is in his expression. He wouldn't dare cry in front of this man, yet the pain of this is sketched within Nishijima's expression that is of a man who wants to remain stoic, but can't quite. 

After that climactic conversation between the two actors Takatsuki is arrested for attacking a man who had been taking pictures of him, leaving Kafuku to take on the role of Vanya, but before that we see the last essential step of Kafuku's and Watari's relationship. Again what is so impressive is how earned it feels when the two withdrawn people finally connect, and when the two decide to attempt to find some catharsis in their mutual losses, as Watari reveals she is as well dealing with the thoughts of her mother's death. The two though reveal more together on the way to her home where her mother died. Both performances are outstanding and so powerful first in the driving conversation. Both are so remarkable in revealing their break in their shields which is their reservedness Nishijima is so impactful in finally revealing real tears, though still held back as much as he can, and finds such potent emotion in just that force of the moment as Kafuku begins to reveal himself. The story itself being that Kafuku confesses on the day of his wife's death he had purposefully driven longer and gotten home late to avoid a potential confrontational conversation that would change his relationship with his wife. Nishijima gives you such a tangible sense of the state that day in the fear he conveys in his hesitated breath, and the sorrow though in accentuating the lump in his throat as he notes his sense of guilt in failing to be there in her death. In Watari's story she too reveals guilt, though of a different kind, as she was with her mother when their house collapsed, and she had a chance to save her mother but chose not to. Nishijima's reaction to this is as important as his revelation of guilt in conveying this true empathy and understanding the two share in this intensely complicated grief. 

The true climax of their relationship isn't found though until the two finally make their trek to Watari's old house that still sits in rubble within a snowy landscape. And to mention the great Lee Byung-hun for a moment, the actor I perhaps first think of first when it comes to the volcanic technique of performance, where so much of the work is all about just beneath the surface until it is all unleashed. Unleashed in a way that leaves such a substantial and awe inspiring impact that is particularly unique thanks to the atypical execution of it. Well that is what you have here with Nishijima's performance as any of the man's inhibitions are gone as he is fully there for Watari's grief, but also finally seemingly fully experiencing his own. Both suffering from a similar state of guilt, sadness but also complications with people who they neither purely loved or hated. In the beginning of the scene Nishijima is already devastating in just realizing such a potent sympathy and empathetic pain as he looks upon Watari speaking her own pains. Watari though turns this on Kafuku and asks him consider that his wife was complicated and loved him even within her painful betrayals. Nishijima's eyes are filled with such initial despair. He is harrowing in revealing everything he's kept internalized for so long, still trying to keep it back, but now the effort is truly too much, releasing it in this moment. When he finally breaks, Nishijima is truly heartbreaking in revealing every bit of anger but also sadness at his own failures in her relationship. When finally he says bluntly that he does truly miss her, Nishijima's performance articulates this so powerfully because it is with this force of emotion of the reserved man finally allowing himself to feel it all, and it is this combination of pain and catharsis. Catharsis that evokes Vanya by embracing Watari and speaking the words about living up to their loss by continuing on despite their pain, and in the end Nishijima ends up being as inspiring as he was heart wrenching. 

 

As much as I feel I've covered that poignant and oh so powerful portrait of a man's introspective journey through grief that is Nishijima's extraordinary performance, I would be remiss if I forgot to mention his performances within the performance. I left these alone actually because as much as he has that incredible volcanic arc in the personal story of Kafuku there is another more condensed one that we see in the performances of the man. The first performance in Waiting for Godot, where we just see a man experiencing his joys as a performer with no great fanfare, pomp or circumstance. A working actor without any extra cares to the performance. This is in stark contrast to his first depicted performance as Vanya in Uncle Vanya, the lonely rejected man contemplating his apparently misspent life, and in that Nishijima seems to portray something Jack Lemmon referred to when speaking about his performance in Save the Tiger. Lemmon referred to becoming too intertwined with his character to the point he was in pain just as his character of Harry Stoner was in that film, something Lemmon counseled against falling into. We see this idea as Nishijima depicts Kafuku becoming far too empathetic with Vanya in his performance to the point the man is writhing in pain. He's showing it on stage in his performance but his eyes are searing with the very real pain of the man becoming so connected with his character that he suffers as Vanya does even when he walks off the stage. This is in contrast to his final performance which is after he's found his sense of closure and in turn his performance now is of a powerful and capable actor, reveals Vanya's painful emotions, but when he walks off stage it is with a healthy calm, no longer burdened so terribly in his connection. Nishijima though delivers another great performance within this great performance, as he is a great Vanya in his scene of showing this man filled with regret, though performed differently from Kafuku's own, to the point I kind of wish we had gotten to see the full version of this Uncle Vanya at the center of this film. Nevertheless both performances make up the greatness of this outstanding performance by Hidetoshi Nishijima. A performance that carries us through a challenging,  and often insular journey, but a journey that is no less poignant or powerful in this method. A journey of a man trying to come to terms with the unknowable, that is realized by making a man seemingly unknowable, knowable.

Alternate Best Actor 2021: Bradley Cooper in Nightmare Alley

Bradley Cooper did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Stanton "Stan" Carlisle in Nightmare Alley. 

Nightmare Alley is a strange experience for me, in that I don't think I really properly watched the film the first time. Sometimes I'll get a film the second time more because knowing the journey I will more greatly appreciate that journey for what it is, but that's not the case in this instance. Here, I knew the journey from the 47 film starring Tyrone Power against type, which I quite like, even with its production code tacked on pseudo happy ending. So on my first watch I admired the film, however I think I almost did not allow myself to experience the film staying too focused on waiting for the scenes I knew were going to happen, rather letting myself get carried into the story. Well re-watching the film, and now not having my mind try to match scenes in my head, I just got to experience it this time, and much to my surprise I have found it far more gripping, emotional and powerful, keeping in mind that I rather liked the film even with that strange viewing experience the first time.

Although he came up short in terms of acting Oscar nominations, Bradley Cooper had a banner year in 2021, with two wildly divergent turns in Best Picture nominees. One being his scene stealer pseudo one scene wonder of Jon Peters in Licorice Pizza, which is a wild extravagant comedic performance of the highest order, and here where he is the lead dramatic character, who almost appears in every scene of the film. Cooper is Stan Carlislse the seeming drifter who becomes far more than that. Where Cooper does nothing but talk as Jon Peters, Cooper doesn't say a word for about the first ten minutes of Nightmare Alley. In those 10 minutes though Cooper says much as shows his ability to act in silence, and even with only minor actions as we watch Stan enter the film, theoretically Stan at his most true self. An entrance that differs greatly from Tyrone Power's entrance as Stan in the 47 film, who is much more this kind of average man when we meet him. Stan here has a history which we see a snippet of in the very first scene as Stan is disposing of a corpse by placing in a rundown shack before burning the place down. Cooper's performance displaying this calm of a workman in this task before coldly marching off to find some new start. Where Stan in the 47 film seems an affable man at the start of the first film, Cooper's Stan takes you aback a bit as comes off as true drifter, someone moving away from a past he has no desire to stay in. 

His performance in the initial scenes of discovering the carnival crafts a beguiling identity in Stan. His physical manner alone has this tight authority, someone who seems prepared for any confrontation, but also this masking darkness about the man who keeps his head down, and his eyes frequently away from the gaze of others. We follow him into the carnival where Cooper's performance portrays this certain intrigue within Stan as he examines the place though with almost this suspicion. The moment of going to the geek show in a way is particularly essential, as Cooper's reaction is subtle yet speaks so much in the eyes of Stan viewing the lowest of the low though with this quietest of empathy, something we will see only sparingly within Stan throughout the film. Even without speaking what Cooper does here though is the man seemingly looking for some new avenue, there isn't what I'd call a sense of shame exactly but kind of crime about him, though what the crime may or may not be is largely ambiguous as this time, combined though with the man looking for some kind of future. Cooper's work presents Stan really in this transition of Stan as though he is looking for something to be, just the quietest of a hint of ambition as his eyes seem to be seeking something in his surroundings. A minor ambition partially fulfilled as he suddenly finds himself a job moving the carnival for its owner Clem (Willem Dafoe) and its strongman Bruno (Ron Perlman). 

We finally hear Stan utter a word when he is tasked to capture the local geek by Clem within an haunted house attraction. Cooper still portrays Stan as the guarded man in this task still in a way isolating himself even in seeking this man just for some quick cash. Stan finally speaks and we get one masterful aspect of Cooper's performance to first reveal itself, his accents. Again accents aren't something I always focus on because they are often overly focused upon, but when it is a great one, and serves a greater purpose that is notable. Now here the accent might not seem that, though it is extremely well realized in Cooper's vocal turn in crafting an authentic accent fitting someone from the mid-west from a impoverished background. There's more to it though as in this moment in confronting the geek, and really saying he has nothing against him, Cooper's voice is particularly harsh and more earthy in its quality, natural to this man which denotes a hard life. Something that seems to reveal itself faster when the geek attacks him and Stanton lashes back at him quickly and with brutal efficiency. Cooper's performance in this scene is essential and exceptional in the quickness of the ferocity of his violence. It is with this instinctual attack, that goes further than just defense and turns to attack. In this Cooper shows a man as himself ready to fight, ready to kill, as a man who has had to steal and possibly kill to survive. 

After helping capture the geek there is a particularly important moment in Cooper's performance where Clem thanks Stan for his efforts and offers him a job, noting the carnival doesn't mind much about someone's past. In that moment of speaking this, Cooper's manner loosens just a bit and stay loosened in the subsequent scenes at the carnival, showing this at least minor sense of comfort in Stan within the carnival. Stan quickly ingratiates himself within the carnival starting with the fortune teller Zeena (Toni Collette) and her husband Pete (David Strathairn). A key moment to what Cooper is doing in this performance actually is a very brief one when Stan is taking a bath and Zeena begins making a sexual pass at him. Cooper is terrific in the scene because although it seems Zeena is the aggressor, and she certainly is, the moment she mentions his looks, Cooper face switches quickly to a come hither smile, before returning to the younger man just allowing himself to be taken by this older woman. A subtle manipulation which will be Stan's game throughout the film, and a brilliant aspect of Cooper's performance throughout the film. The key to Cooper's performance, which is clear on initial viewing but even stronger on re-watch is that Cooper shows that in almost every situation Stan is playing on something. And while there is a real man within Stan in Cooper's performance there are a whole lot of different shades of the illusions he creates to obscure the man's nature. 

Take in the carnival itself where we get separate qualities of performance in Cooper depending on who Stan is acting besides. One of the immediately obvious is Stan when he is acting as a partial barker for Zeena. There Cooper's accent has a subtle shift to a less harsh mid-western accent, something that is rather affable and sounds almost looks a eager news paperboy at times, the perfect accent to get crowds to believe you and intrigue you into buying into the show. The fascinating bit about that though is we also get that same endearing energy with the pretty young woman who works as the carnival Molly (Rooney Mara). Cooper is amazing in that he adjusts slightly again. The accent is similar but a bit truer with Molly, though still false to the accent we heard when confronting the geek. His physical manner though is wholly different as Cooper becomes genuinely so charming as he tries to win over Molly. Cooper is fantastic because you wholly believe the intention as he brings such excitement in his manner and such spirit in his words as he makes romantic overtures and even romantic gestures such as showing off a new technique for Molly's electricity bit. The thing that Cooper does though is he wholly pulls you into believing Stan as this romantic lead suddenly as he genuinely is endearing when showing off the new trick to Molly, and against one's better judgment you buy into him as this caring soul just trying to give Molly the world.  

This though is different from his performances with his two mentors in the carnivalof Dafoe's Clem and Strathairn's Pete, although even between those Cooper is very different in the way he articulates the relationship each time. With Clem, Cooper portrays this very practical manner of the listener and the follower. Cooper suggests someone just taking in the information and following the orders he need to, in order to get ahead. Clem freely gives his info out and in turn Cooper portrays Stan just going along, close to the more brutal man we saw initially but just slightly more at ease. His delivery though is very direct such as when he notes "he never touches the stuff" regarding alcohol it is with a dismissive straightforwardness that even Clem doesn't fully enjoy. With Pete the relationship though is very different as Cooper takes a slightly more submissive posture even around Pete and almost has these glowing eyes of the young man seeking information from the wise old man, even if that man is a broken down booze hound. Cooper in the same moments though delivers in his eyes this penetrating  expression when Pete introduces his ability of creating a code to read an audience's possessions and his cold reading ability in order to read a person. Cooper creates in these moments this tangible sense of Stan building the path for his future in his eyes as his eyes seem so sharply drawn to the concept, and the power that seems possible within it. 

In his time at the carnival there are a few moments where it seems like we might see the true Stan, or at least some wholly true feelings from him. His interactions with Pete speak to this when Pete does his whole act and creates this entire backstory about the watch that Stan wears that must have been taken from his father who he loves and hated. Cooper's excellent in the reaction of filling with this real sense of the anxiety of this old relationship and that sense of the fear of his past opening up, until Pete reveals that it was just an fixed reading that can work on a great many people. The other are in the moments of the mention of the geek by Clem including when Clem disposes of the geek and then tells Stan how one procures a geek through drugging an alcoholic. In these moments, and another honestly poignant one of Stan going to share a cigarette with the imprisoned geek, reveal the glint of humanity in Stan. I love how Cooper plays these scenes and shows them to be where Stan almost can grant his sympathy or at least pity to the people who he views as having a worst plight than him, which is few. Cooper though goes even further though in presenting this kind of fascination even within this sympathy. There is something about the geek that nags into his inner soul, and Cooper is fantastic in presenting that sharp and specific pain that seems to torment Stan regardless of his position. 

Stan begins to take on the power that he learned from Pete and in turn Cooper is exceptional in realizing this technique that depends so much on a specific kind of charisma. Now charisma might be enough to pull this off, but what takes Cooper to a greater achievement in again fashioning the kind of charisma needed for his specific mark. We first see this when a sheriff comes into the carnival to try to shut it down, and Stan, using bits of information here and there decides to cold read him to get him to stop. Cooper is outstanding in this scene by first presenting this kind of meekness in his manner, an easily believable man of the general place who no one should suspect again. When speaking to the Sheriff Cooper does it with this particular religious inspiration as though he is being pulled to the sheriff to try to speak to the man as some kind of holy prophecy. Cooper's eyes fixated on the man in a mesmerizing state though as though he is a born again preacher delivering the lord to the man via this sermon, when of course Stan is just finding a way for the man to stop. Cooper controls every moment in this performance as he intensifies the state as the Sheriff breaks more and more, and what I love is that Cooper is able to make it this strange attack on the man in terms of his character, by noting the man's pains, yet with this inspirational streak to get the man to believe him as he articulates thoughts of the mother with this kind of poignant pause and empathetic glare. Cooper embodies exactly what the Sheriff is looking for in Stan in order to find some kind of peace. 

We then leap in time as Stan leaves the carnival with Molly to start his own mentalist act though not in venue in an upper crust city. We get yet another accent transformation and even posture change as Cooper performs as "The Great Stanton". Stan when performing now speaking with an overly affluent sounding accent, almost a southern dandy, befitting the group that Stan is now performing with. His manner though totally changed less as the grounded preacher type as he reads the audience and now with this air of natural elevated state as this man who can see the beyond. Cooper's movements in these scenes are that of really an over the top performance, as Stanton is most certainly performing for the crowd to seem so much more than he is. In Cooper's performance you see the sense of power that Stan feels from the situation and the quiet joy in his expression as he wields this control. We see this when the equally amoral Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett) attempts to break the illusion of his show by messing with the code and asking Stan to identify something hidden in a purse. Cooper is again incredible in the moment hesitation before his eyes become so piercing as he successfully describes the contents of her purse before then continuing to pursue her by attacking her based on his read of her. Cooper bringing this vicious incisiveness in the moment and a bit of glee as he attempts to cut Lilith down, before quickly shifting to a new mark, a local judge, by prodding out the information on death of the judge's son creating a new target. 

Again what is so outstanding about Cooper's work is the way he can articulate the duplicity of Stan which differs from person to person, while still revealing elements of the true Stan in part from these acts, but also in the moments where he is caught astray. With Lilith, whom Stan recruits to get info from her work as a psychiatrist on her wealthy patients, Cooper doesn't show Stan exactly as himself really but rather as Stan would like to be seen as by her even, which is as the confident and articulate grifter. Cooper comes in so assured and shows where Stan is embracing his most sinful behaviors in lust but also just in his description of his crimes. Cooper brings such satisfaction as he talks about his technique to her and his love of making the money off the fools that are buying what he is selling. Cooper goes to something beyond though in this enjoyment as it is this satisfaction he has in his delivery of a man who has achieved his goal in life seemingly, which is to steal from those who always seemed so far ahead of him and glory in it. In turn his lustful relationship with Lilith is defined by just that, and his natural transition to sleeping with her and even drinking alcohol with her, Cooper makes it this natural shift into embracing his sinfulness with someone he sees as a mutual sinner. Important to note the scene where Lilith's required session with Stan, the thing that really gets her off more than anything, and Cooper is magnificent in this scene. He naturally portrays the slow reveal of more vulnerability in Stan as she prods him to reveal more including his past and possible murders. Cooper is fantastic as his delivery combines this attempt at pushing aside the past, this attack on the very idea of the past, but also this somber self-loathing when he gives into the thoughts and reveals a bit about his failed family life with a weak willed alcoholic father. 

The near final sequence of the film is as we see really two sides pulling on Stan with Lilith helping him con first the judge, then his reclusive rich friend Ezra Grindle (Richard Jenkins). This is against Molly still trying to have a relationship with Stan and push him towards a less manipulative life. With Molly, Cooper is great in showing really the blithe manner he has towards Molly after seeming so earnest when he had been courting her earlier. When Molly says she won't help him with the spook show, Cooper is marvelous by showing the shift in the manipulation. First in his explaining that he's trying to help Grindle as Cooper gently delivers the description as though he's offering piece of mind with his phony spiritualism. When that doesn't work, Cooper is perfect in the final moments of pleading with Molly where Cooper again does show that really it was all a grift with her too, as he accentuates a caring vulnerability when speaking to Molly and getting her to come back in order to impersonate Grindle's deceased mistress. Speaking of Grindle, Cooper portrays Stan as really fully gone into nearly believing his nonsense as he first shows off with the judge's wife then with Grindle. Cooper presenting these moments without shame as this man prodding and playing with the people, with a sly smile in giving them peace while still prodding for more money and power from them. Cooper is never slicker than he is with Grindle showing the full powers of the man, fascinating as he creates this blend between the showman and the real devious spiritualist, trying to act as though he is uncovering some truth with Grindle while he is in fact just playing with the man's inner turmoil.

The climactic impersonation scene I really didn't give enough credit to on my initial viewing, yet found it magnificent on re-watch, in large part due to Cooper's performance that brings a surprising nuance to the situation. This as while Cooper indeed portrays that Stan is indeed manipulative, as he listens to Grindle's confession where he seems to indicate he may be a serial killer, his reaction speaks to a greater realization of the danger of the man, and the fear that he's put Molly in real danger. In turn when Stan kills Grindle as Grindle's attacking Molly, Cooper's performance delivers a greater depth both as we see Stan return to the man who violently hit the geek once again as he lashes out, but there's an even greater vindictive intensity as he's putting down Grindle. Cooper launching into it almost as he's performing an execution of sorts. The killings leading Molly to finally leave him and for Stan to go on the run. Cooper's physical work again is outstanding because  he so powerfully embodies the tension  of the crime he's just committed, and this certain mania as he tries to cover his track. Just the way Cooper moves around in these scenes is absolutely captivating in creating such a palatable sense of tension. He creates the edge that Stanton finds himself on so powerfully. When Stan seeks an escape route with Lilith, only to find that she's been grifting him out of the cash he's made the whole time. Cooper's reaction is perfection as this shattering of his reality in believing that she was together with him in this mutual lust with the weight on his face of the grifter finally seeing himself as the victim. Cooper brings such dynamic animalistic viciousness as he attempts to get his revenge on her before being forced out due to the police arriving. 

Now before I get to the ending of Cooper's performance, which may be the most essential element to talk about. I obviously already think this is altogether a brilliant performance that only gets better the more you watch it. If Cooper had played the part as Power did, which was as very much an average man where temptation and bad influences get the better of him, that would've been strong work, I'm sure. Cooper makes a different choice though, which makes this version a bit pricklier regardless of the ending, which is to make Stan rotten to the core. Cooper's performance shows a man that sees everyone, except those below him, as a mark to be taking advantage and manipulated in some way. Cooper articulates this through fashioning a different side to Stan and a different song to play depending on the listener. He crafts a multitude of faces both when Stan is actively performing and just when he's with anyone he can get something from. He flawlessly realizes this in every relationship on screen and there always an angle that Cooper is playing, and it is so effortlessly compelling to witness throughout. But let's talk about the black core of the man, which we eventually see when the opening of the film was based on Stan essentially murdering his own father by exposing the sickly old man to the elements. In that scene there is such hate and contempt in Cooper's eyes and such venom in his one line of articulating these feelings to the old man.

 

After running off from Lilith we have a man stuck with himself and in this darkness. Cooper showing now this alcoholic, wounded and broken, and just his expressions so powerfully shows all confidence and ability withered away. His silent work in these scenes alone is true greatness from Cooper, however I still haven't gotten to the best part of his performance. This being his final scene where he finds a carnival to attempt to ply his trade with a new owner (Tim Blake Nelson). Cooper's physical state is of the broken man and I love that he now shows the "sell" is so messy from Stan. This as Cooper attempts the overly refined accent which is ill fitting to his vagrant appearance showing that Stan is slipping, and can't craft any illusions this time that will convince the man that he's of any use. Cooper couldn't seem more pathetic, so then it seems strange when the owner offer him a drink, for a temporary job at the carnival, the geek, but only till they can get a real geek. The words which echo exactly Clem's method for geek procurement. Cooper is beyond astonishing in this moment from the momentary grin as he takes the drink, before he realizes the true nature of the job, then in that moment of realization Cooper has never been better. Cooper manages to convey the horror the realization from his memory, the sadness of this state, but also this strong mania in his eyes as he grins as he accepts his fate with his haunting delivery of "I was born for it". There's something that cuts all the deeper with Cooper's performance as it isn't just the man being sad about becoming the geek, there is this devastation and eerie acceptance of the man mentally breaking as he realizes that despite all his efforts he has fallen lower than his lowest point. His tormented laugh that is both heartbreaking and harrowing in the terrifying combination of horror and joy, reveals a man who can't help but laugh at being unable to escape what appears to have been his dreadful fate by some universal design. It is an unforgettable ending, to this masterful performance by Bradley Cooper, as the portrait of a man, who for all his tricks and charisma could never escape the weight of his dark soul.

Alternate Best Actor 2021: Simon Rex in Red Rocket

Simon Rex did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning LAFCA and an Independent Spirit Award, for portraying Mikey "Saber" Davies in Red Rocket. 

Red Rocket follows a down on his luck porn "star" returning to his hometown. 

Can every actor give a great performance? Perhaps not, but are there many actors with a great performance in them? Perhaps so. Simon Rex is not a performer I would have thought of to appear in this particular endeavor, having only sorta known him as the lead in Scary Movie 3 of all things. But "hey you never know" seems to be a steadfast rule when it comes to the right actor finding the right role, and that is what you have here with Simon Rex. Due to the overabundance of remarkable leading turns this year, I originally wasn't going to give time to Rex's turn however when beginning to give my brief thoughts I found that I simply had far too much to say not to write a full review for him; something that occasionally happens however always speaks to a performance that is well worth giving a closer look to. 

Director Sean Baker has been known for his films looking at people living on what is seen on the fringe of American society, typically with a sympathetic bent even if in no way holding back on the harsh realities of such a life. The character of Mikey though I think hearkens perhaps closer to the protagonists of different recent Indie darlings of the Safdie brothers, and in turn, hearkens to the leads of the 1970s. Characters whose moral ambiguity, or downright amorality, is simply just a facet of the character, and the film isn't about damning them, though there may be elements of such, it is rather just through examining the atypical lead for what they are. Rex in turn stomps onto the film as we follow Mikey as he seeks to stay at the home of his estranged wife Lexi (Bree Elrod) and his mother-in-law, though both view him with mostly contempt. Rex in the opening of his character pretty much establishes part of the way of Mikey as he tries to talk about staying there with his wife, and Rex's performance is kind of as a man that feels if he says enough he'll be able to inspire at least enough sympathy to get what he needs. 

Rex is fantastic in this first scene in his delivery that is all about basically rattling towards any kind of understanidng he can find. First starting with basically an "oh come on" tone in attempting to convince his old family to let him just by sheer force of his will. Rex's pleas though in a way, as pathetic as in a way they are, you see really still the method in his particular sort of madness. Rex making Mikey's BSing a fine art, and he is artist in the medium of it honestly. This as we see his opens brushstrokes that only intensify as he's allowed in the house and he goes over all the different reasons why he's broke that somehow have nothing to do with his own mistakes. Rex though is wonderful by creating this unique sort of energy in the ranting as though he is the master of the excuse. This is his delivery that can speak so quickly yet randomly emphasize things like dealing with a gang he just didn't want to mess with within everything else that somehow still is dancing around that Mikey screwed everything up, that seems likely to be something that Mikey is no stranger to. 

The other element of Mikey, that we quickly learn as he goes looking for a job and somehow is less employable than a convicted felon, is that Mikey is a porn actor, or as he would like to confidently say a porn star. The job interview montage is great work from Rex because in every discussion he again is the excuse maker and seems like he just can't quite give a straight answer. Rex brings the right sort of natural flow to the lies of Mikey as really what is just his basic setting, as he's ready to explain every curiosity within his employment record in a moments notice. Rex though masterfully switches tone when Mikey finally gets to what he's been doing for the last few years because there is no longer than a sense of the energy of the liar. Rex instead speaks with this utmost pride and confidence as he tells each potential employer about his status as a porn star. Rex has this particular way of talking about this almost as though the people should already be aware of his particular stardom, and has this perfect level of unearned assurance and accomplishment, even as this revelation only leaves him very much unemployed. 

The film then is following Mikey and his attempt to return to some pseudo what one would believe as any kind of success through his particular type of determination. And it is here that Rex's achievement becomes more evident on re-watch, which is that Mikey is a wholly watchable character, despite his repeated terrible actions, and that has to be due to Rex's performance, because there's certainly nothing in Mikey's actions that would even remotely endear himself to you. Rex's performance though manages to wield the power of a train wreck, in that there is something so explosively destructive about it that it's hard not to watch him veer off the tracks again and again. Rex's performance hits that magical mark somehow though where the story of Mikey, which is the Texas fried version of the man digging in order to dig himself out of a big hole in attempt to get out by digging through the other side. We see this as Mikey because he can't find any legitimate jobs chooses to instead become a drug dealer for the neighborhood. Although that isn't even the main element that brings Mikey towards any kind of trouble as a man who truly seems to exist without shame.

Rex somehow becomes fascinating to watch then see him act his particular breed of strange charisma for the lack of a better word. We see him though even with his wife where he and Elrod really are terrific in creating a palatable sense of their relationship even though we never see the early days where they were a porno couple. This as Rex is naturalistic in a way you rarely see, as their relationship isn't remotely good, however it is bad in this distinctly authentic way to a certain kind of bad relationship. This as they aren't always at each other's throats, rather they are both just anti- each other in a way that reveals very much a connection, if mostly unpleasant, but could only exist from people who have shared quite a bit of intimacy. This as Rex bends so easily between moments of just being the ever caring husband with a random gift or coming onto her just to screw around, though as easily just shifts to an extreme petulance of judgment or annoyance whenever she very rightfully speaks ill of him.  

 

There can be multiple shifts in a scene yet never feel even slightly disjointed, such as a scene early on where one moment they're having sex, and it seems like Rex's portrayal of Mikey's overdone charm is working, to her kicking him out of bed as truly using him just as a tool after he overstays his welcome and really we see Rex working and failing to flirt with her more genuinely, though because it's Mikey with his wife, he has trouble not seeming false. Rex is hilarious particularly in the scenes coming in conflict with Lexi and her mother. This because really both when he is convincing of his worth, mostly because he produces money, and when he's completely failing, Rex is great at being just so childish about it. His fighting just this annoyed complaining and his arguments are really comic gold with the whining mannerism in Rex's delivery as he notes that he's been mowing the lawn and "providing protection" for the ladies as though he's the secret service or something. They are a proper wreck of a group together, entertaining but also almost too believable in their brokenness. 

 

We see though this "chance" at some kind of recovery though because of that connection as there are moments that are almost, which I hesitate to write, sweet where both Lexi and her mother show some willingness to welcome Mikey back if he's truly back and you know he's loyal in any way, and not planning to instantly cheat on Lexi and screw up their life any way he can. Still the moment where Lexi's mom honestly asks him, you could almost, wrongly, be convinced by Mikey. Rex is amazing though because what he does is show that in the moment Mikey probably believes what he is saying. Now does he believe this about ten seconds later, no. Rather Rex is able to be wholly convincing at showing someone who can lie to themselves just as well as they can lie to anyone else. He makes it this art form once again, that is shown through many form of Mikey's behavior throughout the film. Rex though throughout though shows really the way Mikey is empowered by belief, in that the more someone believes his nonsense the more convincing it becomes and the less labored Mikey's performance becomes, not Rex's his is always kind of perfect.

An example such is in a central relationship outside of his home with a local guy Lonnie (Ethan Darbone), who somehow makes Mikey seem like a successful person, given that Lonnie spends his time worshiping the thought of Mikey as his friend and pretending to be a military man. Rex though in these scenes reveals really Mikey at his worst oddly even as the man is being seen as some sort of an actual celebrity. Rex's delivery in these scenes is purely self-absorbed as these long run downs of his successful choices and achievements as a porn star. In every line Rex is having Mikey really sell himself to Lonnie as this true celebrity who is greater than anything around him. At the same time in every story of his "success" he follows it by explaining one failure after another, with one woman "betraying" him after another. Rex brings in these moments this more genuine hatred and anger in his performance even if so quickly and even quietly, yet so effectively in showing more so the very real emotions behind all his bravado. Rex's performance has this terrific balance between the man trying to explain his failures as part of the "biz" in there as just part of the life, while he brings this very palatable bitterness of someone who isn't at all happy with his life choices, despite his general attitude.

Perhaps the most central relationship is with a young doughnut shop girl Raylee aka "Strawberry" (Suzanna Son), who catches Mikey's eye and some how he catches her's, Mikey ensuring he will screw up his setup with Lexi and her mother. Rex though is amazing strangely enough, because as much as I wouldn't necessarily call him charming, you can somehow see his charm when he first entrances her with a stupid doughnut joke as his opener. You can kind of strangely see Mikey at his "Best" self in that Rex shows the same charm attempt that we see with Lexi, but less sort of labored in its attempt as he does it with a new woman. Rex portrays what is the old tricks, but now new tricks thanks to the new intention with this much younger woman who is in no way aware of his nonsense. Rex though oddly somehow succeeds in his ridiculous routine, yet there is genuine charisma in there as he wields his Texas style, and particular style to actually have a smile that doesn't seem as false, however only when smiling with her. Again the man finding his power, through someone who buys into him. Rex delivering with somehow his pride so much stronger, and in the way Rex again brilliantly suggests a man whose power grows very much by if the person is buying what he's selling, as he becomes a lot better and whole lot more convincing as a salesman even if it is mostly built on lies.

 

The way this relationship develops is fascinating in its anti-wholesomeness, because together they do have great chemistry, almost unfortunately, as they hit this similar wavelength, in part because Mikey lies consistently through his teeth, while she's nothing but completely earnest in her reaction to these lies. Rex and Son though are perfect together even as she's just legal and he's a total scumbag. It has to be said, in very much that 70's way, this isn't revealing a societal ideal yet crafts a wholly captivating pair in this relationship. There does seem to be genuine affection, just as there's this rather unpleasant grooming manner as he wants her to become a porn star herself due to her "skills", yet Rex even sells that because his delivery is filed with such intense belief in her, at least so it seems. Rex again hits this particularly brilliant blend of being both a complete phony yet somehow you also wholly believe his intention. He's completely wrong, but you also completely believe everything about the man. This includes becoming the girl's mentor and lover, and Rex never makes his work every less than authentic, which is quite something given who it is that Mikey is. I guess what is even more notable is that Rex is also captivating in every step of this process, reprehensible as it might be.

The overriding factor that Rex brings though is this uncompromising energy, that is a whole lot of things, it is funny, it is actually grating, yet also weirdly endearing at times, yet also it shows a man who spirals into every direction and really isn't any less destructive than some waves as damages those in his wake. The first most obvious step in this is leading Lonnie into causing a car pile up due to his own erratic behavior, and immediately running from any blame. Rex is outstanding though in the immediate portrayal of his reaction of fear of realizing the results of his actions, while also in the same reaction portraying the immediate deflection of someone trying to shirk off any responsibility. It is with the same intensity as he tries to get Strawberry to go with him to LA to make her a "Star" in his industry. Rex delivers the same sort of narrow conviction, here though this unabashed belief in himself that isn't at all earned, yet it is an undeniable facet of the man. Eventually though this doesn't work out as everything crashes down on him with his choices leading him to be rejected by all for his repeated betrayals and general demeanor. Rex is brilliant in the scene in showing the man immediately return to how he was in the first scene in the man where he is still singing the same tune, but without that conviction now, making the act especially phony and easy to see through. Rex is the perfect failure in this moment, by showing just how weak the act is when no one is buying it. And with this, we have an ending that is slightly Hudesque Rex reveals this moment of clarity in Mikey as it seems like he might actually finally realize something about himself. This is just in the silent moment of walking alone with now nothing, there is a man who perhaps doesn't believe in himself, and that may be the best thing for him. A genuine modesty, with his final reaction hitting the right ambiguity at seeing an idealized Strawberry waiting for him, as either maybe a man finally seeing some better path, or Mikey about to return to that some boisterous nonsense that has caused every failure of his life. Although from an unexpected performer as a very unexpected character, this is incredible work from top to bottom, and matches the extreme challenge of this role. Nothing should really work about this part, but everything does, and so much of the credit must go to Rex who makes it work. Rex somehow is likable, while being hate able, funny while being terrible, he's a loathsome offensive brute, yet I can't look away.

Alternate Best Actor 2021: Nicolas Cage in Pig

Nicolas Cage did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Critics choice as well as winning and being nominated for several critics' awards, for portraying Robin Feld in Pig.

Pig is an intriguing film, though one that doesn't quite reach its ambition though the attempt is admirable.

The whole setup for Pig and the casting of Nicolas Cage in the leading role establishes what is a misleading idea for the film. Makes it sound like a revenge thriller of the man to avenge his Pig a la John Wick did for his dog, or Cage himself did for his girlfriend in the revenge thriller Mandy. In turn, one would probably expect a no holds barred Cage's performance like that earlier film, of the man going off the deep end of that dangerous edge he already seems to be leaning on just by being Nic Cage. Well, none of that is true and this is honestly one of the quietest turns you'll see from Cage, who love him or hate him, is known for going all-in with his performances regardless. In fact, Cage barely says a word when we first enter into his world as a hermit in the middle of the Oregon woods, where he goes around with his truffle pigs and makes his home alone and away from others, though not entirely isolated. Except for his obviously striking physical state, Cage doesn't portray any innate many or craziness to the man, there is really a naturalistic approach in Cage's portrayal of the man as he minds the world of his own. Cage just portrays man going about his duties with really what I think is best described as a stoic calm. The only breaks in the calm being these glints of warmth as he looks upon the Pig.

The one sort of interruption of this world is brought on by a young wannabe power player who wants to break into the black market food world of Portland, Amir (Alex Wolff), who comes to Cage's Robin for his truffle supplies. Cage initially treats the man with generally just a near non-entity around him as Cage still portrays this dutiful manner of the man just keeping to himself, and keeping to his particular life. This is quickly shaken when intruders in the night steal Robin's Pig. Again really subverting the expectation we don't get a classic Cage freakout as the Pig is being stolen, in fact, it is with a surprisingly normal, though caring, delivery as he asks the thieves not to hurt the Pig. He returns to his stoicism on the quest to reclaim the pig with Amir, and we get what I feel is the weakest part of the film. This as we see them interrogate random people to get closer to the truth, and even have a scene where they randomly go to an underground fighting ring where Robin gets beat down by an old friend in his search for information. A scene that I honestly think almost was made to help sell the film, to offer the wrong impression as more so a revenge thriller, as it really has little to do with the story, or the rest of the film. Cage though I suppose admirably takes the beating as Robin showing the man portraying it as more so as this penance rather than as punishment. 

After the beating we enter the second phase of the film where Robin goes with Amir coming across many people he's known before and it is revealed that Robin was a famed chef before the recluse. In this sequence Cage takes upon an unlikely role which is as this man designed to challenge others for their existence rather than just to find his pig. This is throughout with Amir, who puts on all the fronts for his power player lifestyle, yet Robin challenges this which Cage portrays well just by the fact that Robin is barely challenged by him, just keeping a largely intense stare with the young man, unless he has a moment to share more information with him. Although the greater change is with Amir overall within the scheme of the film, what we see in Robin is revelations within his changing state that is often to challenge others in some way. The moment for example when Cage speaks to an upcoming earthquake that will destroy Portland followed by a giant wave, Cage alludes to part of his isolation in his aggressively blunt delivery of this information, but with something more. This in the moment of speaking of the giant wave Cage speaks it almost with this kind of sense to prod for some kind of inspiration in the younger man, to push the man into something more than his more basic shallow choices in his life. 

The greatest moment in Cage's performance and film, which I think alludes to a greater film than Pig is, when he and Amir go to a fancy restaurant, and Robin asks the lead chef a few questions. Cage is amazing in this scene with this penetrating stare as his delivery is just cut down of the chef, as Robin refers to him as a former chef he had fired. That isn't the cut down though it is rather when Cage begins to inquire what the chef actually wanted. It is here where Cage is fantastic as his stare is penetrating with intensity but also this honest empathy. This as he questions the chef of his old dream of an English pub which causes the chef to break down speaking to his denial of his dream. Cage is genuinely moving by being actually rather inspiring as he speaks almost a councilor by easing into this conversation through telling the man that the chef is a failure. A failure not for his success rather because the chef gave up his dream for the sake of such a shallow success. Cage brings such a real poignancy as he lectures the chef that his costumers "don't know him" because he hasn't shown himself to them, by not playing as just this take down, rather bringing this genuine sense of concern within it. Cage presents the moment as though Robin truly would truly love to see this man reform himself, and be himself in his culinary output rather than this falsehood. 

Within this quest we seem to find a bit more Robin as when he visits his old home, reconnects with an old friend, or when he finds an old tape, that we later find from his wife, Cage is moving in these scenes by just bringing a sense of the honest loneliness of the man in these moments. When he speaks of the old home, or just looks upon or listens the tape, Cage's silent performance evokes purely the sense of the old relationship of his and the pain from his loss. We see the very much wounded man behind the seemingly impenetrable nature of the man we were introduced in the first sequence of the film. All of these moments leads to the final confrontation with Amir's father, the man who hired the thieves, Darius (Adam Arkin), and it is a culmination of everything in Cage's work. This as we get this sudden shift in physical manner as he goes to prepare dinner for Darius and Amir, Cage's goes from the saunter of the vagrant to the calm precision of a chef. A remarkable moment that the film barely brings attention to however Cage's shift to the chef suddenly is a brief brilliant bit. In the dinner then we get the interrogator again by commanding both this sense of living up to one's self while also just asking for his pig. Again Cage brings that unmistakable and specific passion to the forefront. An atypical but fascinating sort of intensity, until Darius breaks down and reveals the pig died. Cage's sudden reaction of pure devastation is heartbreaking, even if the scene itself feels a touched rushed in the moment. As is the following scene of Robin's Schrödinger's cat contemplation as he feels he killed the pig in a way by looking for it. Still all credit to Cage in bringing this quite yet palatable pathos to the moment, and granting a sense of the closure of Robin's journey. Still, much like the film, though I will submit myself the beat down of the true lovers of this performance by merely thinking this is a very good performance. To elucidate a bit more, where the film has fault in a screenplay of potentials that aren't full achievements, I really think only the restaurant scene fully finds what I think the film is looking for, Cage has no faults in his performance. It is a well realized and internalized character, that shows the range of the actor, something that should never be doubted in the man, unlike his money spending habits. Having said that, I do think there are certain limitations due to the limitations of the film. Cage delivers on everything the film asks him to do, however so much of that seems like just the surface of a pool that Cage should've been able to dive far deeper into. This is with so many fascinating ideas that we get touched upon, somewhat, making it so Cage himself can only go so far with his work. 

Alternate Best Actor 2021: Peter Dinklage in Cyrano

Peter Dinklage did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Critics Choice and a Golden Globe, for portraying Cyrano de Bergerac in Cyrano.

 

While I still await the definitive version of Cyrano, this is a superior entry into the mix, benefiting greatly from having an actually likable Roxanne (Haley Bennett) and Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.)'s for once. 

This version of Cyrano de Bergerac is both working within the type of the character and offering a bit of a revision. Peter Dinklage playing the role is already part of the revision as his stature acts as a point of modesty rather than the typical feature of Cyrano, the elongated nose. Where the similarity remains is making Cyrano the larger-than-life warrior-poet who enters this version, as he does all traditional versions, by threatening a stage actor for his poor performance and demanding that his bad acting stop immediately. Dinklage having really what is an essential facet of a Cyrano, which is a booming and naturally commanding voice. Dinklage's baritone cuts through the scene with him able to make these outrageous demands and threats with ease. Dinklage performs the scene, I think properly, by not sounding the temper tantrum, but rather making it this broad gesture of a rather purposefully theatrical man. Just his voice making that loud and notable impression, before of course appearing here, and being perhaps subverting the expectation of who one would immediately think of as a warrior poet. The idea though isn't broken from the theoretical revelation, after all, most of us know what Peter Dinklage looks like, but rather asks Dinklage to stand tall even when being the literal shortest person in the room. 

Peter Dinklage has done this before of course as Tyrion in Game of Thrones, however, that was a very different character in terms of personality there could be a perceived similarity where both have a cutting wit and playing into the very act of wearing what was perceived as his flaws as his badge of honor. And I'll admit I came into this performance a bit concerned that this would be largely a reprise of that performance, however that is not the case. Dinklage here actually plays the part, outside of the self-insulting song, as though he merely were the romantic lead with the tragic flaw that he firmly believes that Roxanne will reject his love. In turn Dinklage brandishes his performance here in a way that is quite effective in terms of merely making Cyrano the larger than life presence who wants everyone to notice his brilliance and see his bravado for what it is. Dinklage delivers that sort of overt romanticism effectively with the manner very much pushed forward by his want to show off. When even he's fighting or speaking, it is with this broader grandeur that Dinklage brings and very much portrays his Cyrano as very much a showoff. Although I'm not sure he completely fulfills the Peacemaker requirement for showing off, Dinklage isn't too far off, pulling off the showoff brand by just doing it with enough genuine gusto to pull it off. 

Dinklage hits the right note to be endearing in his over the top sort of presence, that doesn't literally go over the top in his performance, by showing this certain sense of joy in Cyrano himself as he does play it up for the crowd and acts as the warrior poet for all to see. When he rhymes his take down of one, sings another, then battles a whole group, Dinklage portrays each moment with this sort of blunt enjoyment at the prospect of the challenge and the man who loves the challenges that are presented to him in this very romantic way for the traditional hero. Dinklage offers the important contrast though in his scenes where Cyrano isn't in front of a crowd as a more gracious and quieter man. He brings a greater modesty to his performance even before we get into his point of personal weakness. In his more interpersonal scenes with Roxanne early on, where she intends to tell her of her great love, which he misinterprets will be for him, Dinklage is terrific in the run around of emotions as Roxanne speaks to him. Dinklage portraying just this barely contained joy as she seems to be praising him and revealing her love to him, until she finally reaches that she doesn't know the man's name, and Dinklage does a great portrayal of a man's face falling in his eyes even as he tries to maintain the smile otherwise would be too revealing of his truth. 

Cyrano is instead tasked with trying to protect and guide who she has fallen in love with on sight, Christian, on wooing Roxanne, to the point he starts writing for the young man who is less artful with his words. And here's where we really reveal his great weakness, which Dinklage actually portrays a little differently from other Cyrano's which is an interesting choice. There is the sense of frustration, really even the way he seems to crush his mouth to keep it closed, as the man who needs to hold his breath or at least believes that he must lest he speak his love for all to hear. Dinklage brings the sense of vulnerability when just scoffing at the idea of Roxanne possibly loving him, and presents this is a dismissal with almost too much ease. When more internalized though Dinklage conveys a greater pain in the state, and in his eyes, and being conveys the frustration and anxiety as his own words convinces the woman he loves to love someone else. Dinklage is moving in presenting this consistent frustration, even as he presents still just the confidence of the romantic to Christian as though he is doing it just for the sake of it. Dinklage though brings the right sense of heartache, though there is something more, which in a way might be the most interesting aspect of this performance, and Dinklage's take on Cyrano. 

Of course before I get to that, let's mention the songs, which are not the strongest aspect of the film though there are some good ones in there, and even a great one, though that one barely involves the principal cast. Dinklage unfortunately honestly has to carry some of the weaker ones, though not the weakest, and that's where I'll say while I like the romantic spirited way he delivers the songs, none of them stand out within his performance. He certainly puts his heart into them, but his best moments here honestly are outside of when he is singing even if he does acquit himself more than decently in that aspect of the film. But back to the most interesting element of the performance which perhaps begins to reveal itself when Christian figures out the situation, in what is really the most heartbreaking scene in the film due to Harrison's portrayal of a man basically realizing the only love in his life has been a false one yet still wants Cyrano to find his. Harrison's portrayal of this near despairing mania, though still this purity of passion bringing such poignancy to this revelation. Dinklage in this scene though is very effective in doing two things. One showing the reaction of despair and anxiety at seeing Christian become distraught and really suicidal, offering the right powerful sense of empathy and even burden at his brother in arms' despair. The other though is portraying this fixation on the idea of his love as something he writes about and dreams about yet will not experience. And that is what Dinklage presents Cyrano's love as, as in a way something that he must hide because to make it real would diminish it in some way. 

 

This idea is further emphasized by the final scene of the film where the dying Cyrano is basically pushed by Roxanne to admit his love for her yet he still refuses to do so. In these scenes Dinklage is at his best in the film in creating this sort of insular affection, of the man who holds the idea of love too preciously that he can't quite even let himself fully experience it. Even in his final words, changed to speaking not of his love to Roxanne but his love for his pride. Dinklage gives a powerful meaning to this in his delivery, as in his final moment portrays he portrays this as a somber admittance, that while he might've loved Roxanne, what he truly loved the idea of loving Roxanne. I love the choice because Dinklage doesn't portray at all joy in Cyrano as Roxanne openly admits her love for him, it is rather this shame in accepting that he could never love Roxanne, not for stature, but rather quite simply it would force a change in the idea of love he has for Roxanne. An idea so fascinating that I actually wish the film had actively explored it even more, though it is certainly explored by Dinklage's more nuanced work. I think that in a way though shows somewhat the weakness here, and my wish, despite loving "Wherever I Fall", is that this had been just a spoken Cyrano and we could've dived even deeper with Dinklage's performance. The songs strangely in a way I think often insist a broader reading that isn't quite what Dinklage seems to be going for. Still it is not as though Dinklage falters within the limits, he just is simply, fittingly I suppose, limited by them. Having said that, this still is a very strong performance within those confines. Not the definitive Cyrano, but a damn good one, showing Dinklage's ability as a leading man, a type of role that I hope he returns to playing very soon.

Alternate Best Actor 2021: Dev Patel in The Green Knight

Dev Patel did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Gawain in The Green Knight.

The Green Knight is an entrancing telling of the story of the Arthurian legend about Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. 

Let me tell you a tale of a young thespian, by the name of Dev Patel. A performer who did not find his strength until tempering the overacting of childhood to find success when removing any sense of adolescence. Fitting then to this tale of a knight, or at least a wannabe knight, in Gawain. Gawain who we first glimpse within the film in a house of ill-repute, spending time with the peasant woman Essel (Alicia Vikander). Patel's performance portrays a man with contentment in his wayward state. Patel brings an eager smile on his face as he explores through this place, barely making an excuse to his mother for his state when returning home. Patel suggests the man enjoying the baser pleasures of lust, and doing so with the ease of a younger man without responsibility, or at least sheds the notions of such things. An eager smile that speaks to the love of these vices and shirking what would be seen as the virtues needed for the ideal of a knight. The realization of this state truly comes upon Patel's expression when hearing of entering the audience of the King (Sean Harris), a great man, whose virtues seem obvious as does his respectable state. Where Patel showed Gawain walk through the halls of the low house with an eager smile, his expression is filled with only trepidation as he enters the great holdfast of Camelot. 

In the place of the King, who is most inviting to Gawain and supportive of a man who isn't quite yet a Knight, Patel's performance naturally becomes much more modest and weak. He looks into the hall of the great warriors and true knights with a sense of fear but more so unworthiness. Even the way Patel sits as Gawain is filled with an uncertain weakness and timidness in the corner of the room, unsure of himself and particularly unsure of why he belongs in such a place. When asked to regale a tale of himself, Patel speaks Gawain's words as this burden of failure to act and speaks without the confidence, since he has no great tales to tell. The opportunity for Gawain seems to reveal itself as on this Christmas feast a Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) arrives with a most unorthodox request, a game, a game that requires one warrior strike him with only the requirement that said warrior returns to allow the Knight to give him the same strike that he received the following year. Patel depicts with bated breath an eagerness in Gawain to prove his measure by taking on the Knight's game. The King offers Gawain his own sword, with a magnificent reaction from Patel that reveals the sheer weight this offering means to the young man, the weight of it as he holds it, and looks into the blade with awe. 

After this moment of pause Patel's performance is that of a performance, the performance being Gawain becoming the knight suddenly, at least a knight as Gawain would imagine one in his head. Patel brings a notable bluster, even the way he rushes over to the knight is with all the aggression of a man wishing to prove his measure in every breath. In this aggression, there is a kind of fear in Patel's eyes, the anger in a way the attempt at hiding the fear that creates an unusual weakness even as Gawain is doing everything to project strength at the moment. Patel barks out the orders to the Knight to defend himself with a hurried speech, suggesting confusion at the very nature of the Knight's apparent ease in facing death Patel pushed this bluster and boasting immediately as he grasped his sword with all his might and charged towards the Knight. Patel is not being the hero, but rather making the image that Gawain has of the hero. The way he speaks his orders is with false bravado, he dashes as the image of the Knight and the whole attempt at courage comes off as a false act. Patel emphasizes this in the fear within his eyes when after decapitating the knight, the knight rises, still alive, demanding that Gawain meet in a year's time for the same blow. 

After a year's time, we find Gawain hasn't at all improved, still spending his time in houses of ill-repute. Patel shows the man barely able to keep his head up as the drunken fool ready for a meaningless fight, but not at all prepared to meet the Knight once again. Patel shows a man without growth, a man with a cowardly down turned head when the king pays him a visit and reminds him that he must fulfill his duty by meeting the knight as agreed. And it is here where the quest begins as Gawain goes out to meet the knight and into the world of much danger. Patel having established successfully a striking sense of the man Gawain is. A man who wishes to be a knight, yet leads a life of little meaning and even less responsibility. A coward truly, though with just the hints of some ambition to be more than this. Patel embodying the arrested development of a man. He's now older, but there is no true growth we see in his intention as a person. We see this even as we see his final conversation with his apparent love in Essel where Patel speaks with such uncertainty in this so call pledge of his affections for him. Patel showing a man who is yet to find his confidence or really his strength despite his youth. A man who thought he may have it, even attempted to show it in taking on the green knight, yet stays nothing but a fool who would wish he could live up to the standard the king and the green knight have set upon him. 

The quest begins and here we have what is a dramatic shift in terms of the challenge behind Patel's performance, though he wholly effectively established where it was that Gawain begins before his quest. The challenge is I feel of any film that one might categorize as a "director's film" which is not to be swallowed up by the visuals and really the journey itself, to stand as a part of it, while still captivating within in. To be forgotten within the narrative here seems possible as the film becomes Gawain coming across various unusual sights (giants, talking foxes, ghostly maidens, elvish thieves), each fascinating in their own strange ways and in the ways they offer some help, challenge or hindrance to Gawain. Patel delivers a fantastic performance here by not getting lost within the captivating imagery but being essential in not only grounding them but making them part of the  journey for Gawain. Patel's reactions are tremendous throughout in he is able to portray the sense of discovery, astonishment, confusion or fear, with such conviction. He brings you into every fantastical experience with his portrayal of Gawain seeing it as all essential truths. What Patel expresses in every sight is fundamentally real in his performance and crafts a real sense of the journey through his performance that is as captivating as the sights, by making the sights ever so tangible. 

Within Patel grounding the fantastical he also portrays the changes and consistencies of Gawain. The intensity of his fear when seeing a vision of his dead corpse before finding the strength to escape his binding after being left by thieves. His curious fear when asked to find Winifred's head, by Winifred herself, and the sympathetic calm that Patel portrays when finding her missing member. When this perhaps is most alive when he comes across the house of a lord (Joel Edgerton) and his enigmatic lady (Vikander again). Two individuals who seem to know far more than any are fully letting on as they seem to wish to seduce Gawain and torment him in equal measure. Often both speaking with much wisdom towards his quest, and Patel being a perfect straight man throughout this sequence. His work suggesting the sense of confusion and intrigue in equal measure. The lust of moments, but also the fear as well. Showing the state of in-between and uncertainty they still leave him in, even as he has come so far. Patel though shows the man perhaps not quite ready for his final challenge, which is to meet the Green Knight once again. Before he goes, a talking fox warns him of the deadly nature of the meeting, as foxes so often do, and Patel's grounded reaction is great in showing just the pent frustrations and in the moment of the man moving forward not through courage rather just a near mania of being done with all he's been through. 

 

I fear this performance was not meant for greatness, actually I lie I already think this is a great performance regardless as a "in the moment of a journey" style turn, but I couldn't resist the line. However where the greatest achievement is found in the final minutes of the film comes when Gawain decides to not allow the Knight to return the strike and returns home as the coward. This is a silent sequence built upon visuals and Patel's performance. He is outstanding in every step showing the life of the coward. As we see him giving into lust in his return taking satisfaction and a child from Essel but leaving her alone as a coward would. Patel portraying with conviction the lack of conviction in Gawain as he is knighted and even becomes king himself. Continuing as a man passing through the moments of life with this underlying burden of failure and weakness of a man unfulfilled. We see him take another wife, and lose his first son in battle. Patel in just a moment establishing the palatable sense of relationship with his son in a matter of seconds and the failure of the father to protect his son, in his painful reaction of seeing his son dying and the father defeated in his ability to do nothing to save his son. It is incredible as Patel brings such genuine gravity in this death despite the fact that we've experienced this entire episode in what is a moment. We see him become an unpopular ruler where he seems weighed down by his very crown in Patel's performance, a man burdened by any responsibility and just the craven fool looking over his people with dejection as they look upon him with scorn. Patel expressing the inability of a man to ever be a man as he stares off waiting in his keep to be taken by an enemy no doubt to his death. It isn't with fear in Patel's final expression but rather this depressing acceptance of a life misused and defined by hollow cowardice. We snap back though to see this was Gawain experiencing a vision of his life if he chose the way of the coward eternally. We now see him facing the Green Knight and willingly giving himself up to whatever his fate would be. Patel doesn't show the fear is gone, rather he powerfully portrays the moment of thinking through the act, finding the courage and willfully speaking that he is ready, with Patel finally showing a man willing to be brave and truly become a knight. And so ends this chapter in our tale of one Dev Patel. A thespian who proved his measure through his nuanced and emotional portrait of a knight finding his strength not through escaping death but rather by facing it.