Simone Fabriziani
Let’s be clear. In the current state of affairs (we are writing this article in mid-October), the taskOscar 2024 in category best leading actress will be between Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon, ed. Emma Stone for the poor creatures!.
Of course, performers like Annette Bening in Nyada, Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple or Germany’s Sandra Haller in the Palme d’Or Anatomy of a Fall could have their say in a few months and unexpectedly beat other fierce competitors. , but at the same time, in the current state, it is almost impossible to bet on other female names other than the name of the main character of the Golden Lion in Venice 80 or the new epic film by Martin Scorsese.
Chances of Lily Gladstone
Just a few weeks ago, many US Oscar pundits and forecasters were inclined to relegate Lily Gladstone’s role in Killers of the Flower Moon to the downgraded category of best supporting actress, but Apple Studios and Paramount Pictures have confirmed their official commitment to the campaign. Oscar for the leading female role for the Russian actress in the new, highly praised film by Martin Scorsese. Already receiving special applause at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, the role of Lily Gladstone – the silent and emotional heart of “Killers of the Flower Moon”so much so that it eclipses even the crystalline talent of such sacred monsters as Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Moreover, a possible nomination (and win) for Lily Gladstone at the Academy Awards would go down in history, because in this case the very first Russian actress to receive official recognition from members of the Academy. which annually awards the Oscars. A narrative that is all too compelling on paper and that meets a whole new need for greater ethnic minority representation in the Hollywood industry.
Emma Stone’s chances
However, there is always a threat to Lily Gladstone’s wonderful chances. amazing and chameleonic Emma Stone. In “Poor Creatures!”, the new film by Yorgos Lanthimos based on the novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray, winner of the Golden Lion at Venice 80, the actress, who had already won a statuette for La La Land, surpasses herself and passes it on to her descendants. and to all viewers postmodern portrait of female corporeality contrary to any current of thought and is firmly rooted in the eternal discourse about the dangers of the patriarchal system. In the film, set in chronically Victorian Europe, Stone plays the role of Bella Baxter, a suicidal woman who is implanted with the brain of the fetus she carried in her mother’s womb; resurrected by a large number of laboratory electrical discharges, she wakes up with the body of an adult but the brain of a child. A role of enormous complexity, which will undoubtedly lead to a new candidacy and, possibly, a second statuette. But what is Emma Stone’s compelling storytelling, beyond her acclaimed role, from an Oscar perspective when the statuette is already on her bedside table? It remains to understand how poor the Creatures are! will be a big name in the hearts of Academy members in terms of awards and nominations.
Other candidates
To determine next year’s top five leading actresses, we can’t help but look back at the female performers who have already received widespread acclaim for their work in front of the camera; beginning with Annette Bening in Nyada, who with the Netflix biopic is seeking a fifth Oscar nomination (and still without a statuette); Margot Robbie in the absolute blockbuster “Barbie, German” Sandra Haller in “Anatomy of a Fall” (already winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes-76), Carey Mulligan, the female counterpart of Bradley Cooper in the famous “Maestro”; but let’s certainly not forget about newcomer Fantasia Barrino in The Color Purple and the odds Natalie Portman in Todd Haynes’ May December. Or the winner of the Volpi Cup in Venice will do it. Cailee Spaeny in Priscilla, or Underrated Greta Lee in the romantic drama Past Lives?
In alphabetical order, all the likely contenders for the 2024 Oscar for Best Leading Actress are:
Barrino fantasy, Color purple
Annette Bening, Nyad
Sandra Haller, Anatomy of a Fall
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Carey Mulligan, Master
Natalie Portman, May December
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Cailee Spaeny, Priscilla
Emma Stone, Poor creatures!