The 2016 RyMickey Awards - Best Actress

Best Actress 2016

(SoN = Streaming on Netflix // SoA = Streaming on Amazon // SoH = Streaming on HBO)

There were some really great performances from leading ladies in 2016, many from movies you may have never heard of before.  Take the time and explore some of these lesser known flicks because most of them are pretty great and the performances listed below are worth your time.

Honorable Mentions

(in alphabetical order)

Amy Adams - Arrival

Sally Field - Hello My Name Is Doris

Rebecca Hall - Christine

And the Top Ten...

#10 - Lily Rabe - Miss Stevens

Rabe gives a lovely performance as a high school English teacher who longs for an adult relationship, but also realizes the importance she plays in her students' lives and the pivotal role she plays in shaping their futures.  The natural way Rabe's title character interacts with the young actors playing her students elevates this simple film beyond the norm. (SoN)

#9 - Ruth Negga - Loving

Courtesy of an understated performance, Negga is captivating in the strong, yet subdued way she portrays Mildred, a 1950s black woman whose interracial marriage with her white husband set off a firestorm in her small Virginia town.  The film lacks oomph, but Negga's performance is lovely. (SoH)

#8 - Taraneh Alidoosti - The Salesman

The wonderful thing about director-writer Asghar Farhadi's films is that he always keys in to the slightly repressed Iranian culture and the stigmatization of women in the society.  Alidoosti plays Rana, an actress who is attacked and, rather than go to the police, lives in fear of retribution from her culture should she attempt to find the culprit of the crime.  This shameful societal notion is wonderfully conveyed by Alidoosti in a film that is buoyed by some great performances. (SoA)

#7 - Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins

This is Meryl's fourth time on the RyMickey Awards Best Actress Top Ten list (plus one Supporting Actress Top Ten berth) so like the Oscars incessant obsession with her, I too appreciate her cinematic acting chops (although not always enough to place her in the Top Five).  Here, Streep imbues the titular terrible opera singer with heart, compassion, and a survivor-esque quality.  She's captivating as always. (SoA)

#6 - Krisha Fairchild - Krisha

The center of a very low budget indie piece, Fairchild makes her debut as the title character, a sixty-something woman who returns home to a family get-together after a ten-year absence.  Fairchild was the director's aunt, but this isn't a case of inappropriate casting simply to keep things in the family.  Instead, Fairchild brings heartbreak and pain to her character of Krisha as we witness a downward spiral that leads to a frightening and sad finale that despite its inevitability at its outset is still surprising as we see it unfold onscreen. (SoA)

#5 - Emma Stone - La La Land

Admittedly, Emma Stone probably has the least complicated role in this Top Ten list.  There aren't tremendously complicated depths that her aspiring actress Mia has to plumb.  What is present is undeniable chemistry with her costar Ryan Gosling and repartee between the duo that is utterly charming and often comedic, reminiscent of Katherine Hepburn/cary Grant flicks.  I couldn't help but smile as Stone danced across the screen.  (SoH)

#4 - Anna Gunn - Equity

Gunn of "Breaking Bad" fame is fantastic as Naomi, a senior investment banker at a swanky firm in New York City.  As she fights backstabbers of both genders, she struggles to make a name for herself in the competitive industry.  Strong and powerful, Gunn anchors the film with the shrewd notion that it's okay to like money...it's okay to want to have money...it's okay to want to be successful.

#3 - Natalie Portman - Jackie

Director Pablo Larraín rarely strays away from Natalie Portman's face in Jackie and this almost-claustrophobic atmosphere pulls the viewer into Jackie's plight, latching on to her strength wonderfully conveyed by Portman.  Portman puts on a steely demeanor which makes for an all the more emotional experience when the rigid exterior cracks when the beleaguered widow is finally able to break down behind closed doors and fully mourn her husband's death.  Portman is fantastic here and not just in a mimicry way. (SoH)

#2 - Annette Bening - 20th Century Women

Slots 1 and 2 on this chart were so close that I'd really rather have a tie.  Ask me on another day and Ms. Bening may have taken the top spot as Dorothea, a 1970s mom who so easily could have been turned into the stereotypical "flower-power" type, but instead is a wonderful balance between that laid-back West Coast demeanor and a headstrong mother who wants the best for her son.  Through simple mannerisms and looks, Bening creates one of the most natural performances I've seen this year. (SoA)

#1 - Alicia Vikander - The Light Between Oceans

As the film opens, Alicia Vikander's Isabel is full of youthful sassiness and a zest for life that doesn't exactly match the more subdued surroundings of her quiet coastal Australian town.  Capturing the joy of impending motherhood, Vikander also completely embodies the devastation of a woman who loses two children via miscarriage and her brooding pain is palpably felt.  Vikander conveys these varied emotions that take her character on a roller coaster ride, but never feel out of place.  This film failed to catch on in 2016, but it's a shame Vikander's performance didn't get recognized across any platform because this is an even better role than the one for which she won her Oscar in 2015.

Previous RyMickey Award Winners

2015 -- 2014 -- 2013 -- 2012

2011 -- 2010 -- 2009