The Playlist’s Picks For Breakout & Breakthrough Performances Of The Year – Part I

It’s the time of year again. That season when The Playlist breaks down all the arresting, disquieting breakthrough performances of the year that made you stand up and notice an actor — someone you couldn’t take your eyes off of.

Some of the these actors will be new to you and some aren’t new at all, but they have delivered a performance that’s head turning, reminds you who they are and in some cases is like you’re seeing them all over again for the very first time. In no particular order (but you can tell from our head graphic our faves).

Summer Bishil – “Towelhead” – Alan Ball’s film was a glib and facile melange of “provocative” racism, but the 20-year-old Bishil did such a solidly convincing turn as the 15-year-old Arab-American coming to grips with her sexuality and all the fear, uncertainty and trauma that it brings. She’s certainly one to put on a “one to watch,” list.

Toby Kebbel – “Rock N Rolla“
This is kind of cheating since we included him on our list last year from his outstanding performance from “Control” (he stole the movie) but Kebbel hasn’t really broken through yet and that’s a shame, but the kid is eventually going to be a star, mark our words. In Guy Ritchie’s otherwise tedious gangster/caper film, Kebbell’s skeletal-y gaunt turn as a fucked-up crack addict was simply more of why everyone needs to keep an eye on this lad.

Elsa Zylberstein – “I’ve Loved You So Long” – Yes, there’s no question that Kristin Scott Thomas is dazzling in Philippe Claudel’s debut film, but we’ve known her for years. The newer actress that stands out in the film is Elsa Zylberstein who plays her younger sister. ‘Loved’ is almost a love story of the eternal bonds of sisterhood (without the cheese that implies) and the film lives or dies on the relationship between the two girls. Yes, Thomas is spectacular, but Zylberstein holds her own and her sensitive and endlessly compassionate portrayal of an understanding sibling is one of the reasons you’re a mess of tears at the end of the film.

Sally Hawkins – “Happy Go Lucky” – What can we say that hasn’t already been said about Hawkins’ breakthrough performance as the pathologically happy Poppy in Mike Leigh’s ebullient “romantic comedy” (like it’s anything like the norm)? She snaps, pops and fizzles with relentless energy and positive vim. Almost enough to make you wanna lose it (Jeffrey Wells famously called her performance “emotional fascism“), but she reigns it in and also stops on a dime when Eddie Marsan’s psychopathic shut-in starts to turn on her and puts him in his place. Fiercely Academy-Award worthy.

Demián Bichir – “Che” – Everyone talks about Benicio del Toro’s chameleon-like embodiment of Guevara and all its beautiful restraint and they should, it’s Oscar-worthy. But no less compelling is Bichir’s authoritative portrayal of Fidel Castro. Bichir’s imposing Fidel, assumes Fidel as the rebel assumed leadership of Cuba. His idealism, conviction and fiery, commanding qualities are on all display as well as the fuerte oratory persuasion he held over all his commandantes: including Che. Fidel Castro made his followers believe and Bichir actualizes that magnetic influence.

Freida Pinto – “Slumdog Millionaire” – With no acting experience, former model Freida Pinto spent six months auditioning for a co-starring role in Danny Boyle’s Mumbai Slums film and her gamble paid off. She doesn’t necessarily own the film (there’s so many damn good fresh faces), but she does stand out and is certainly one to watch for in the future. It doesn’t hurt that Pinto is one of the most gorgeous new faces we’ve seen onscreen in a long time; her beauty is arresting and you can understand why the lead goes practically to the ends of the earth to win her over.

Noah Emmerich – “Pride And Glory” – Emmerich has been around for years, but it was his scene-stealing turn in this mostly-routine cop drama that made us take real notice of him in quite some time. While the film is pretty trite and cliched, the actors are solid and Emmerich holds his own against Colin Farrell and Ed Norton quite convincingly.

Anamaria Marinca – “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”
Technically, this performance is from 2007, but since this film didn’t hit North American shores til 2008, we must consider it here. The NYTimes called Marinca’s performance in the harrowing abortion drama, “sensational and impeccably controlled,” and they’re on the money. She’s not the one having the baby in this film, but all of the drama goes down from her perspective. There’s one scene exquisite scene at a dinner party where a family imbibes and talks garrulously and Marinca unravels while the chaos ensues around her. She doesn’t say a word and the camera just stays on her full of worry, fear and dread. It’s exasperatingly good.

Nurgül Yesilçay – “The Edge Of Heaven“
While Fatih Akin’s follow-up to “Head On,” was a team effort and the whole was greater than the individual sum of its (still excellent) parts, the film’s defacto “lead” Yesilçay must be given a shout out for her collected and nuanced take on the tough, near-butch and poverty-stricken political activist she plays in the film. Yesilçay is like a caged street rat surprisingly given a home. Initially she’s ungrateful, rough-around-the edges, but eventually (and quietly) lets her guard down to be loved like slowly and intimately unscrewed nails in wood.

Andrew Garfield – “Boy A” – While John Crowley’s film was certainly flawed, Garfield’s nervous and sensitive quiver as a tentative young-adult placed back into society after years of juvenile prison is a riveting pitch. The portrayal is angst-ridden and full of emotional ache, anxiety and intense sadness and it’s immensely palpable that this kid is tremendously talented and has only scratched the surface of his abilities. Perhaps our no. 1 “one to watch.” He should be alongside Heath Ledger for a least a few scenes (or Depp, Jude Law or Colin Farrell) in Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parsannuss” next year, depending on how many scenes with Ledger the director actually shot.

Michael J. Smith Sr. – “Ballast” – Smith Sr.’s unnervingly silent performance as the surviving half of a twin that commits suicide and his uneasy relationship with his nephew and step-sister is utterly haunting. There probably won’t be a role that expressed so much anguish and sorrow this year and actually said so little. The role is too small to get noticed by Oscar, but if he doesn’t take the Gotham award, someone should try and burn down New York immediately.

Anders Danielsen Lie and Espen Klouman-Høiner – “Reprise” – Five months after having seen it this evocatively resonant Norwegian rush of exuberant blood is still one of the year’s best. The film centers on two best friends and aspiring novelists whose lives are forever changed by unexpected literary fame, plus love and chance. One essentially psychologically breaks down (Klouman-Høiner) and the other watches in tremulous worry while trying to maintain a life (Danielsen Lie). It’s a vibrantly dazzling film, but both actors help make the film all the more demonstrative and stunning.

Rebecca Hall – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” – As the uptight and prim female third in a love quadrangle (Scarlett Johansson, Hall and Penelope Cruz), Hall shines in Woody Allen’s best comedy in years. Penelope Cruz is going to get the nomination cause the Weinsteins don’t want to diminish their chances and frankly, probably can’t afford a second ‘Barcelona’ campaign, but Hall is a fantastically refreshing picture in this and her prudishness belies her allures and exquisite charms.

Danny R. McBride – “Pineapple Express” – As the portly comic relief in three major comedies this year (“Pineapple Express,” “Tropic Thunder” and “Drillbit Taylor”), McBride’s scene-stealing breakthrough in 2008 was something we called back in February. The writing was on the wall and you knew his loopy, improvised dead-pan humor would connect. And it did, too bad his real solo breakthrough effort, “The Foot Fist Way,” turned out to be a bomb both critically and financially (it woulda made an amusing short, but didn’t have the legs for an entire film).

Eddie Marsan – “Happy Go Lucky“ – We’ve already written an entire piece as to why this is a spectacularly fierce performance. Marsan’s been around forever, but his volatile turn in this sparkling Mike Leigh film is just astounding and fearsome. Tightly-wound and monumentally repressed, his easily-incensed driving-instructor character is a frightening pot of boiling internalized rage that is both hilarious and tremendously sad. A fantastic portrait of angst-driven emotional suppression and perhaps our favorite performance of the year. He’s scary good in this film.

Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow – “The Counterfeiters”
Though ‘The Counterfeiters’ won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film last year, it didn’t find a proper U.S. release until the winter of 2008. The film was tremendous, and if Tarantino were smarter he would have tapped this film for all its German actors in his WWII film, “Inglourious Basterds,” but he did grab one of them: August Diehl.

Melissa Leo – “Frozen River” – We’re not the only ones to go to bat for Melissa Leo, obviously. Right after ‘River’ made its debut in August, film critics starting whispering about Oscar nods and it’s for good reason. Her turn as the rode hard and put away wet single mother desperately struggling to keep her family afloat was piercing. The film was harrowingly brutal and most of it is due to Leo’s raw and naked role of a woman so despondent, yet tough, she concedes to sneaking in illegal immigrants from Canada over to the U.S border to make ends meet. ‘River’ was grim, bleak and emotionally hard to watch and it’s all Leo who makes it gut-wrenchingly believable and also tolerable (the film was at times relentlessly depressing without reprieve).

Not Exactly Breakthrough, But Other Notable Breakout Performances From 2008

Evan Rachel Wood – “The Wrestler” – Again, we’re all fully aware who she is, but who knew she could act? Her turn alongside Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” is worth an Oscar nomination and more than just shrill teenage girl screaming at her father for being a deadbeat. It’s like she uses the role as aversion therapy or something, because simmering underneath her bitter wrath are deep-seated wounds that don’t feel like its ever going to heal. Wood plays the estranged daughter as one who’s been scarred too deeply to forgive her father’s transgressions and the portrayal is cutting and executes the pain ever so acutely.

Toni Colette – “Towelhead”
Mostly notable because we’ve never really cared for Colette before, but her performances as the empathetic mother in Alan Ball’s suburban nightmare/drama was extremely convincing and also, likable. She made us believe she’d tear you to pieces to protect her baby cub (or any needy kid on the street) and in film full of shitty, selfish and ugly characters, this gets her extra attention.

Emily Watson – “Synecdoche, New York“
Obviously everybody knows who Watson is and she only has a small part in Charlie Kaufman’s mindbender, but damn if she doesn’t shine and sparkle with every moment she’s on screen. All the women in ‘Synecdoche,’ are good and of course it’s the de facto lead Samantha Morton who mostly shines cause of her larger screentime, but if there’s one other quiet, but brimmingly noticeable role, it’s Watson. She plays her character with a mischievous smirk, as she’s hiding a secret she never lets anyone in on and it’s quite captivating and alluring (let’s not forget the comely sex-appeal she delivers out of nowhere). A small reminder of how good she is in a tiny role.

Arguably we’re missing Michelle Williams’ devastatingly internal performance in “Wendy & Lucy,” but we tried to save the Breakout section for Supporting roles. She is utterly tremendous in the film though. Part Two of Breakthrough performances of the year won’t come out until around post-Christmas time when we’ve seen the rest of the years films (Viola Davis of “Doubt” sounds like she has a shot as does Michael Shannon from “Revolutionary Road”), but one roles we were looking forward to was Kodi Smit-McPhee, as the boy in “The Road,” but we’ll have to wait for 2009 for that one.

A reader reminds us that we forgot François Bégaudeau of “The Class,” and they’re totally right. We mentioned that he was marvelous when we wrote about the New York Times breakthrough actors piece, and meant to include, but then forgot to mention him here at the last minute.