Amy Adams did not receive an Oscar nomination for her performance as Dr. Louise Banks in Arrival.
Arrival is a brilliant movie about a linguists professor who is given the task of interpreting the language of extraterrestrial beings after twelve mysterious spacecrafts appear all over the world. Denis Villeneuve completely deserved his nomination for Best Director for his ability to make the movie so utterly enthralling and captivating from the very beginning, evoking the right sort of amazement and wonder in the viewer but also making him emotionally involved with its profound, relatable, human elements. The screenplay is not quite perfect: the writing regarding Michael Stuhlbarg's pointless, annoying character is rather weak and I'll admit that the political relationships between the country are quite oversimplified, but still everything regarding the themes of language and communication and the leading heroine completely makes up for it. The score is absolutely phenomenal and is an essential element for the atmosphere around the encounters with the aliens, the minimalistic production design is very effective and I thought the editing should have won the Oscar.
I will say that it is impossible to review this performance without giving away the movie's twist, so I suggest not to read my review until you've seen the movie (and if you have not seen it yet, do it now, it's worth it). Anyway, Amy Adams was actually considered to be a very likely nominee this year: with very strong critical support, nominations from the Golden Globes, the SAG and the BAFTA as well as a NBR win, plus being a fifth-times nominee, she looked like a sure bet on nomination day. When I found out she was not nominated, I was extremely disappointed. Not only do I think that this is Amy Adams' best performance, and I'm very fond of her in general to begin with; not only do I think that this is the best performance of 2016; I think this is one of the most unforgettable, haunting and powerful performances ever and one that only gets better after you've seen the movie a few times.
Right from the beginning, it's amazing how much depth and realism Adams manages to bring to the role of Dr. Louise Banks, who could have easily been just a foil for the more supernatural elements of the story. Adams, as usual, brings a certain grace to the character that makes it naturally pleasant to watch on-screen and even if the character is depicted as a very quiet, unshowy person there is not a single moment Adams makes you doubt she's one of the most respected professors in the world: she easily makes Louise a very bright, intelligent woman, not sassy in the traditional sense but a very witty, fast-thinking person who can outsmart everyone around her without ever looking arrogant. She makes for a leading character you immediately care about - she is not only a very intelligent, independent character but she is also a comforting, warm, endearing presence on-screen. Her first scenes are really good as she perfectly shows her shock and confusion regarding the "arrival" but also her natural curiosity and interest in the situation. In her attempts to communicate with the aliens Louise works along with physicist Ian Donnelly, played by Jeremy Renner: their chemistry is nothing particularly incredible but it is not supposed to be - they're rather charming in their scenes together and they share a low-key connection that conveys well their mutual attraction.
In the various scenes in which Louise tries to communicate with the aliens and decipher their language Adams is absolutely brilliant: as I said before, she could have easily been overshadowed by the supernatural elements especially considered the very subtle fashion of the character, but she is absolutely mesmerizing at portraying every single reaction as her relationship with the two aliens developes. Through Adams' performance, we share every joy and surprise as Louise becomes more and more comfortable with the so-called Abbott and Costello, even starting to understand their language and establishing a somewhat friendly, empathetic relationship with them. Not a single look, a single gesture and a single reaction is ever wasted: she makes the most out of every frame and she makes for such a graceful, human and relatable centerpoint to the story that you just can't help but follow her every second of her performance. She's quite incredible in the way she conveys so much with just the smallest details and she keeps us invested and captivated throughout the whole movie. Adams' performance is also the reason why the scenes involving the world conflict work: she adds a lot of tension to the proceedings by portraying her urgency at trying to discover the reason of the aliens' visit as well as her growing worry as she sees the main political leaders becoming more and more frustrated by the whole situation and threatening to end it with violence.
At the very beginning of the movie we are introduced through what appear to be flashbacks to Louise's daughter Hannah: in those first scenes, Adams is just wonderful at being such a warm, lovely and radiant presence showing so tenderly Louise' love for her daughter without ever making those scenes schmaltzy. Then, she is heartbreaking in her portrayal of her desperation and grief as she witnesses her daughter dying of cancer - and her voice over during those initial flashbacks is so soft, delicate and tender it's just devastating. During the rest of the movie, Louise never addresses to her pain or her daughter but we just sort of take it for granted: Adams subtly conveys this sense of vulnerability that suggest her supposed inner grieving. Towards the end of the movie though, in an absolutely spectacular scene, Louise finds out that the aliens have come to Earth to give humans a gift: their different, non-linear conception of time; therefore, we realize that Louise's visions of her with her daughter are not flashbacks, but rather flashforwards and that this daughter belongs to Louise's future and not her past. Adams completely earns this moment and sells the twist brilliantly: after this scene, if you look back at her performance or rewatch it, you perfectly realize that what to the viewer seemed like internalized grief is instead just simple confusion and puzzlement towards this visions of a yet unborn daughter. Adams is downright amazing as she does not give away the twist but once it is revealed she makes it work perfectly. It's an incredibly hard task to pull off but she does it phenomenally. The subsequent flashforward, the "I know something that's going to happen" scene between Louise and Hannah, is absolutely heartbreaking and it's not surprise that it was used as Adams' clip at the SAG and BAFTAs.
In the movie's last act that features Louise trying to avoid global war by using her newfound gift could have easily fell short but thanks to the brilliant editing, score, direction and her performance they do not. Adams is fantastic as she brings so much tension to those scenes that they are absolutely compelling to watch and they really keep you on the edge of your seat. But the most powerful moment of her performance is the very end of the movie that is probably the best ending scene of 2016 and gives the movie a whole new layer of moral complexity, in fact I kept thinking about it for days after the movie was over, reflecting about Louise's choice and asking myself if I would have done the same. Adams is amazing in this scene as she conveys so much on her face as she witnesses her whole future in front of her and deciding to have her daughter anyway regardless of the fact that she knows she will die: it's just a profoundly moving moment and Adams is incredible in it - her simple delivery of her final "Yes" to Jeremy Renner's character is devastating in its quiet poignancy.
This is simply an incredible performance from Amy Adams and one that I could not praise enough really. She gives a performance of amazing subtlety, grace and delicacy, quietly carrying the movie on her shoulders and giving it the needed heart and feeling. It's a brilliant turn of outstanding complexity, from a fantastic actress that never stops surprising me.
5/5
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