The Evolution of Awards: The State of the Best Actress Category and Elizabeth Olsen's Ascension

     We are coming into a world of film where each category defined by the Academy Awards is becoming distinctively categorizable. For example, in contemporary times, the Best Actor spot is one usually dominated by an actor who everyone thinks must have an Oscar by now, but doesn't. These are spots filled by A-list stars who have moved into independent film territory. For 2010, Colin Firth won. He, although never really acting in studio films perpetually, is an actor filling the space in audience's minds as a serious one, or at least a very good one. In 2009, Jeff Bridges won, in 2008, Sean Penn. For the Best Actor prize, we tend to give our awards to actors who we feel comfortable giving them to. 2008 put Penn against Mickey Rourke in an unattractive, but worthy performance, but Rourke had been out of the spotlight too long, and his face is too mangled. Penn won. The list goes on and on from Russel Crowe to Denzel Washington at the start of the century. In short, we give the Best Actor prize in modern times to actors who we can view as defining and important in the same league of John Wayne: obviously an attractive role, usually playing a good guy, and most importantly: American.
     In the Best Supporting Actor area, though, we see the actors who the Academy (and thus the popular opinion) view as very good (or, in truth, the real best actor who had a role too small to be thrusted into a defining Best Actor position). In 2010, although Christian Bale wrongly won, John Hawkes, a pillar of independent film, was a nominee for his great performance in WINTER'S BONE and he was surrounded by Jeremy Renner and Geoffrey Rush (whose performance in THE KING'S SPEECH was arguably better than Firth's). In 2009, Christoph Waltz, an unknown, and a villain won. Waltz's performance was the best of all the nominees in actor categories that year, but if he had been in the Best Actor spot, he would have lost. Heath Ledger, Javier Bardem, and Alan Arkin populate earlier Best Supporting Actor wins, and all of these were unattractive roles played well.
     The Best Supporting Actress spots are usually, sadly, throwaways. Viola Davis in 2008's DOUBT was too minor and impressed upon to actually be of serious merit, 2009's PUSH, with another black woman, Mo'nique, was undeserved and silly, and even the usually worthy Melissa Leo won in 2010 for a performance that ranks low in her body of work.
     However, now we have come to the most interesting category of all: The Best Actress award. This is turning into an award, especially in the 10's, I think, that is a secret admission of the public of greatness. We have gone from giving this award to old women to 20-year olds, and this is an admirable change. The Academy Awards have never been, for true film lovers, a definitive statement on the best of anything, but rather a celebratory time of recognition. But here there is some greatness, some real sexuality. We look at a league of 20-something year old actresses and see a vulnerability and a deep love of film. In the late 00's, we awarded the Oscar to Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet (young, but film weathered), and always hiding in the nominee area were Judi Dench, Meryl Streep, Julie Christie. Now however, I predict a change forwarded by the vulnerable and invested performance of Natalie Portman in 2010's BLACK SWAN. This is becoming a race for the 20-something year olds. Carey Mulligan's nomination in 2009, and horrendous lose to the shlock-fest of THE BLIND SIDE with the grating Sandra Bullock, hinted at this change, and the change has come with Natalie Portman. Portman herself had to vie for 2010's prize with Jennifer Lawrence, who embodies the 'great 20-something year olds' fully. In 2011, we can expect a barrage of this. There are some older women threatening as dark horses (Meryl Streep in the upcoming IRON LADY, Tilda Swinton in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, and Glenn Close in ALBERT KNOBBS), but I believe that the award at least should belong to a certain league of young women. MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE features Elizabeth Olsen in a role that I would be very surprised at if it didn't get at least an Academy Award nomination for best actress. Olsen, who probably doesn't even dream of such a future, has her work cut out for her though. The mostly political Academy Awards rely on late night tv appearances, and especially the like-ablity of the actress (who could resist Portman's winning smile and cute off-screen hookup story for last year?) Olsen primarily will be facing off against Rooney Mara, I predict, for her role in David Fincher's upcoming GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Mara was a tremendous opening force in Fincher's well-received SOCIAL NETWORK, and it DRAGON TATTOO, she will emerge triumphant. I would also count among these great young actresses: Kristen Stewart, Juno Temple, Greta Gerwig, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman, Elizabeth Olsen, Kirsten Dunst (another major contender for 2011), Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johansson, Carey Mulligan, and Jennifer Lawrence. But we shall see, we are reaching a point, as well, where many of our older actresses are ceasing further film roles. Streep has always been persistent, and finds roles, but there are few good older women roles out there that aren't villainous or pathetic. What I look forward to though, is a rediscovery of fine young actresses.