Best Female Performances of 2015

In this double feature, I will be counting down the best acting performances given by both male and female actors. They are separated by gender, because I really struggled to put a great male performance up against a great female performance and make a call. So I have split them, and below you will find the top ten performances given by actresses, with two honorable mentions.

This is all leading up to my Top Movies of 2015, which will be published in the days to come.

HONORABLE MENTION: Rose Byrne- Rayna Boyanov- Spy

I missed Spy in theaters, and just recently caught it on DVD. Spy has the feel of a complete movie that fellow female comedy Trainwreck does not. While aspects of that film are great, the performances in Spy are just comedy gold, particularly Rose Byrne's as the antagonist. I now believe Byrne is one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood. She's consistently able to deliver comedic performances in Bridesmaids, Neighbors, and Spy, and never comes off as a star. Here she plays an obviously dangerous woman, but with enough tongue-in-cheek to come off as surely the worst Bond villain ever. It's a brilliant turn in a great movie, and she deservedly steals every scene.

Quote: "The moment I saw you standing in that abortion of a dress...It was as if to say: 'This is what I've got, world. It's hideous, but it's mine'."

HONORABLE MENTION: Rachel McAdams- Sacha Pfeiffer- Spotlight

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Over a decade after her star-making turn in Mean Girls, Rachel McAdams has her first Oscar nomination. In Spotlight she plays Sasha Pfeiffer, a journalist fighting for survivors of the Boston Catholic Church's sexual abuse. It's an incredibly subtle performance, and she has none of the big scenes that co-stars Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo have. It's just pure layered acting, and something I was incredibly surprised to see the woman who played Regina George capable of.

Quote: "I am here because I care. We're going to tell this story, and we're going to tell it right."

#10. Alicia Vikander- Ava- Ex Machina

Ex Machina is another movie I missed, and had to catch on DVD. It's about a scientist who believes his secret Artificial Intelligence is ready to be tested. Vikander plays Ava, the AI in question. An outsider is brought in to see if she really has emotions or if her software is just creating them. Ava could be a by-the-numbers character. A "Frankenstein's Monster" of sorts, especially with the way she pleads to be set free and be a human. But just like the film itself, Ava has darker layers. She knows what she wants, and she can be cold and calculating in her methods. Vikander's face is the only way for Ava to express, and she does an incredible job. After this roller coaster of a film, I truly believe she had emotions, and I'm a little scared of what she'd do in society.

Quote: "Is it strange, to create something that hates you?"

#9. Daisy Ridley- Rey- Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a huge commercial success. But critically, it was just as successful. A lot of that praise was aimed at newcomer Daisy Ridley. In a film that could have gone in a number of directions, she grounds it and gives it so much depth with her character Rey. The greatness of Rey is her ability to hold back, and the audience discovers all the fun things about Rey as she herself does. I'm so interested to see what they do with this character in the future, and it's likely Daisy Ridley will knock it out of the park again. Here's a female action hero who truly holds her own.

(I could have written in much more detail, but I'm trying to keep it spoiler-free.)

Quote: "I didn't know there was this much green in the whole galaxy."

#8. Rooney Mara- Therese Belivet- Carol

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
There's a lot that Rooney Mara does in Carol. Unlike her co-star Cate Blanchett, who has immense poise, Mara acts with nuances and subtleties. In Carol, she plays Therese, a self-labeled heterosexual woman swept into a homosexual relationship with a very strong-willed older woman. Therese is the one who keeps you guessing. Carol knows what she wants, yet Therese is always conflicted with her feelings. In a year full of very showy female performances, it's a breath of fresh air to see an actress perform just as well, without showing off.

Quote: "I don't know what I want. How could I know what I want if I say yes to everything?"

 #7. Cate Blanchett- Carol Aird- Carol

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
I had to put the Carol women together, since their performances rely on each others'. I gave Blanchett the edge because she has more screen time, and I think she gives a more effective performance than Mara. Carol comes off as extremely stalker-ish, and that was one of my main criticisms of the film. But at its core, I feel Blanchett brings layers to her portrayal of a lesbian woman struggling with her sexuality in a society that is repulsed by the very idea of homosexuality, aside from the idea of two women. Like I stated earlier, Blanchett has incredible poise. Carol has such a gravitas, she draws attention to herself in every scene, and steals from every other actor.

Quote: "Dearest, there are no accidents, and no explanations I offer will satisfy you. You seek resolutions because you are young, but you will understand this one day."

#6. Charlize Theron- Imperator Furiosa- Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road is an experience like no other. The movie completely took me by surprise with how incredibly amazing it was. The biggest surprise, however, was the name on the lips of all the fans walking out. It wasn't Max, it was Furiosa. Theron doesn't have many lines, but her expressions, spider-like stature, and endearing character arc make it one of the most interesting performances I've seen recently. Furiosa's ability to recognize the hell they live in, and her need to free the slaved women is truly commendable, but she's more complex. Who can forget the scene where she collapses into the sand  and screams upon learning her home has succumbed to drought? It still gives me chills.

Quote: "Out here, everything hurts. So pick up what you can and run."

#5. Kate Winslet- Joanna Hoffman- Steve Jobs

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kate Winslet is a pretty recognizable actress. She's built a very stable career. Yet in Steve Jobs, she's practically unrecognizable. She's dressed in a way I've never seen her before, with a thick Polish accent. While the movie's about Jobs, she is as integral as the inventor himself. She's his go-to, and she has to do most of the things he's too eccentric to do, and endures his verbal abuse. In three timelines, you see her character grow without any time in between. The final scene where she tells Jobs she's finished with him is incredibly intense. And for a character we only see in three years over three decades, there's a sense of familiarity and admiration only a veteran actress could create.

Quote: "What's been wrong with me for nineteen years, is I've been a witness. I've been complicit. I love you Steve, you know how much. I love that you care what a person can make. But what you make isn't supposed to be the best part of you."

#4. Brie Larson- Joy Newsome/Ma- Room

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
I'm a little startled Brie Larson is only #4. I mean, this is future Academy Award winner Brie Larson. It's true, she will likely win an Oscar for Room. And I believe it's deserved in a sense. She brings an emotional depth to her character, and really contributes to the mother-son bond that makes Room so incredible. As a young mother in captivity, she appears as the voice of reason, until the second half sees her re-enter society and fail. She cannot handle her life after being kidnapped, but sticks it out for her son. It's great, but anybody could do it. She doesn't have the grit that, say, a young Jennifer Lawrence had when she burst onto the scene. It's a great performance in a great little movie, but one that should not earn her the Oscar just yet. There are actresses who deserve it more this year.

"You have no idea what's going on inside my head. And every time you look at me, that's all you see."

#3. Jennifer Jason Leigh- Daisy Domergue- The Hateful Eight

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Quentin Tarantino has the ability to write fantastic roles for supporting actors. Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, and Christoph Waltz in both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained to name a few. Continuing this trend is veteran Jennifer Jason Leigh, who appears as the most disgusting woman I've ever seen onscreen. Her entire performance as Daisy, this vile and violent convict, is full of so many little moments you just have to pay attention to her in every scene. She has brains blown up all over her face, and she still continues to act so fiercely, the whole setting collapses around her. This woman spits her own teeth out onto a man. Yet we see her outside in an early scene, as her handcuffs break in a stagecoach crash. She could run, but she sits in the snow, extends her tongue and collects a snowflake. Leigh deserves an Oscar, but she'll never get one for this role, even if it's amazing.

Quote: "When you get to hell, John, tell 'em Daisy sent you."

#2. Alicia Vikander- Gerda Wegener- The Danish Girl

 NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Alicia Vikander has appeared on this list twice. She gave the 10th best performance I saw in Ex Machina, and here in The Danish Girl, she is nominated for Academy Award. She's my favorite to win. In The Danish Girl, she robs Eddie Redmayne of the movie that was supposed to be his. Ultimately, the movie might suffer as a whole because of how her performance eclipses his and makes the "Danish Girl", aka Redmayne's portrayal of a struggling transgender woman, seem pitiful in comparison to the suffering her wife endures. Vikander commands the screen, in a role that will make you emotional. In a film that should have been about the self-identity of a trans woman, she made it into the struggle their partners face. What comes out of it is a beautifully layered performance. Gerda wants her partner to be happy, even if it means not loving her. But Lili just wants to meet other men and discover her identity, and doesn't give Gerda any time to think. While Redmayne plays his part perfectly, it is Vikander who creates a sympathetic character that the audience views the story through. She should be nominated for Lead, but that's a different argument.

Quote: "I need my husband. I need to hold my husband. I need to do these things. Not everything is about you."

#1. Saoirse Ronan- Eilis Lacey- Brooklyn

NOMINEE: ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
Undoubtedly, Saoirse Ronan is my pick for best performance by a woman in 2015. I didn't have the time to review Brooklyn, and neglected it mostly because it's a pretty straightforward movie. Ronan gives an outstanding performance as Eilis, an Irish immigrant in the late 1940s. The film is about Eilis' homesickness, and the firm belief that she is caught between a home in Brooklyn and in Ireland. Ronan is able to show the outer strength of her character while also allowing her inner weakness to shine through. Eilis is a beautiful character, but she's flawed. She makes mistakes so terrible, you'd hate her if it weren't for her acting ability. Eilis grows throughout the movie's 100 minutes. Nobody else this year was able to give a performance that was subtle when it needed to be, and showy when it was required. The entire movie centers on Eilis. And Saoirse Ronan creates a beautiful story of love, longing, and home.

Quote: "An then you'll notice yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past. Someone who's only yours. And you'll realize that this is where your life is."