Possibly the weakest category of the year, we could only really find three films with suitable candidates for Supporting Actress contenders. Deserving mention is Mila Kunis for her breakthrough performance in Black Swan. Playing as Lily, the antithesis of Portman’s Nina, Kunis does an excellent job portraying the passionate, loose and seductive character that exemplifies the Black Swan. But the standout supporting performance in Aronofsky’s ballet thriller is Barbara Hershey as Nina’s mother Erica. She’s very believable as an ex-dancer filled with regret and living through the career of her daughter. She manages to exude the controlling personality that pressures Nina so intensely, while remaining relatable as a mother. The Fighter gives us two excellent supporting females in the shape of Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. Adams, a very promising actress, receives her third Oscar nomination in five years for stepping out of her comfort zone as Charlene. The working-class, college-dropout barmaid is a fair departure from what Adams is accustomed to and she meets the challenge with ease, showing the strength and straight-talking attitude required to kick Mickey (Mark Wahlberg) up the arse and battle his unruly family, while having a convincing romance at the same time. Alice, mother of Mickey and the undisputed ruler of said family, is played superbly by Melissa Leo. Overpowering and delusional, Alice forms the lynchpin of the dysfunctional family. Her unreasonable adoration for Dicky and blindness to his drug problem holds Mickey back, and Leo captures this excellently as well as the crucial dispute with Charlene.
Finally we can give a performance in The King’s Speech an award. And finally Helena Bonham Carter can get a much-deserved Oscar to go with her first Bafta, also awarded this year for her turn as Queen Elizabeth. Our fingers are crossed anyway. We’ll just get it out of the way, Bonham Carter is one of the most underrated and varied actresses currently working. From a grimy drug addict in Fight Club (1999), a murdering pie-maker in Sweeney Todd (2007) to two very different kind of queens in 2010’s Alice in Wonderland and aforementioned The King’s Speech, it would seem there is no role she cannot occupy. That said, her role in Tom Hooper’s historical drama doesn’t need the context of her career, it is outstanding all on its own. As a traditional feel-good tale, a critical element in the film is our sympathy for the central character Bertie (Colin Firth). Being a member of the pampered royal family at a time where the rest of Britain are struggling with the Great Depression does not make him immediately relatable. What achieves this and allows the film to succeed is the relationship with his wife. Just as Lionel and Bertie’s friendship relies on a balance between humour and affection, so does Elizabeth’s marriage rely on a balance of the regality that makes them recognisable as monarchs, and the touching marital connection that makes them recognisable as human beings. Bonham Carter is a huge part of this, giving a delicate performance of the prim-and-proper royal without ever appearing cold or distant. Instead she inhabits the role as a warm and loving woman who eventually gives her husband the strength to overcome his weakness, and in the process humanises the institution.
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