by Péter Szemmelveisz
First of all, I have a confession to make : I resist this “Best Actress race is SO thin” line. I resist it because if we keep repeating it, it will take away from the glorious career moment of the winner (the best bet at the moment is the brilliant, LONG-overdue Julianne Moore). I resist it because it makes it easier for people to forget/ignore the fact that we had HUGE hits this year, carried by exceptional actresses creating instantly classic characters (Amazing Amy, Maleficent, Hazel). And most of all, I resist it because it fails to put the emphasis on the real problem here : there aren’t enough good roles for women…and that is NOT the fault of actresses. Not that anyone implied that it is, but by stating year after year that Best Actor is such a competitive race and Best Actress is so clearly not, doesn’t really help the industry overcome their undoubted sexism problem now, does it ?
And while we were busy worrying about how ‘weak’ the Best Actress race is (again), a wonderful young actress quietly broke through and many of us barely even noticed. At the very least, Gugu Mbatha-Raw deserves a mention for not only a star-making breakthrough year but also for making history : I’m fairly certain this is the first year a woman of color headlined TWO films (Belle, Beyond the lights) that were also written AND directed by women of color (Amma Asante, Misan Sagay, Gina Prince-Bythewood). The fact that both films were well-received by critics who raved about her wildly different performances, is just the icing on the cake.
Considering how much she has going for her this awards season, it is baffling to me she still doesn’t seem to get the traction she so clearly deserves so now I can only hope that she has a team who will remind British voters (=BAFTA) that she is one of their own – born and raised in Oxford, got her degree at their most prestigious acting school (RADA) and played several iconic Shakespeare roles on stage like Juliet (opposite Andrew Garfield) and Ophelia (opposite Jude Law) – and remind her peers (a.k.a. the most dominant Academy branch, the Actors) of the stunning range she delivered this year (from corset to blue wig). Then an Oscar nomination suddenly wouldn’t feel as unfairly out of reach as it does now.
She is a beautiful, classically-trained actress in her early thirties who, after working on stage and doing some TV work, is now having a spectacular breakthrough year in film…she is basically Jessica Chastain circa 2011… or the British Jessica Chastain if you will.
But how to gain the considerable traction she needs to make a dent in the race, is another question. I’m no publicist, so I can only guess here : a few high-profile open letters and cocktail parties hosted by ‘names’ probably wouldn’t hurt. It’s not like there aren’t people who couldn’t be quietly approached : she spent months playing in plays opposite franchise star Andrew Garfield and two-time Oscar nominee Jude Law, not to mention she worked with beloved superstars, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts (Larry Crowne). Also, J.J. Abrams DID give her the lead in one of his shows (Undercovers) and Oprah did LOVE Belle… just saying.
BELLE Reviews
“Amma Assante’s film is very much a chamber piece, intimate and romantic, full of actors in beautiful period costumes requesting the pleasure of “taking a turn” about the grounds with one other. But it is breathtakingly ambitious for such a piece, taking us back to that age and letting us see slavery, in all its inhuman ugliness, through Mbatha-Raw’s huge, expressive eyes. She is a revelation, suggesting Dido’s curiosity and confusion at her odd station in life, and spirit that just wasn’t allowed in someone of her sex or race back then. Assante wisely keeps the camera close on Mbatha-Raw as Dido discovers what typically becomes of people of her skin color, and revels in Dido’s haughty dismissal of the passionate young abolitionist and would-be lawyer (Sam Reid) who sets off sparks every time they clash over class divisions, slavery and the Lord’s “duty.”
Roger Moore (McClatchy-Tribune News Service)
“Gugu Mbatha-Raw is outstanding (…) Mbatha-Raw who is the real surprise and a delight. Her Dido understands the complicated place she and her late mother occupy in the world with a growing rage. There is a spark to the character, thanks to Mbatha-Raw, that makes the film at times thrilling, and by its end, moving.” Bill Goodykoontz (Arizona Republic)
“Though Mbatha-Raw has had roles in short-lived series “Touch” and “Undercovers” as well as a number of other credits, she feels like a fresh discovery here. Dido requires her to be alternately fearful and full of grace, confident in who she is while feeling at odds with her own blood. She holds her own with some of Britain’s best talent, and it feels natural for her to be on screen with Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Emily Watson and Penelope Wilton.” Kimber Myers (The Playlist)
“Beautifully played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Dido is the illegitimate daughter of a slave woman and a Royal Navy admiral who leaves her in the care of her aristocratic great-uncle (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson) (…) But the real takeaway is Mbatha-Raw. She makes a case for why she ought to be a star.” Chris Nashawaty (Entertainment Weekly)
“Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who was born in Oxford and has acted since she was a child, speaks her lines with tremulous emotion and, finally, radiant authority. Austen, I think, would have been thrilled. “ David Denby (The New Yorker)
“Gugu Mbatha-Raw is outstanding as an 18th-century Anglo-African woman fighting slavery” Graham Fuller (New York Daily News)
“Gugu Mbatha-Raw gives a superb performance as Dido, a very confused young woman who exists in a state of limbo: She is too high-born to mingle with commoners and too dark-skinned to eat dinner with her own family.” Stephanie Merry (Washington Post)
“Mbatha-Raw is understated and captivating in the part” Claudia Puig (USA Today)
“A chief reason to rejoice is the star performance of Gugu Mbatha-Raw, a beautiful and sensitive biracial actress who radiates warmth and intelligence in every scene.” Rex Reed (New York Observer)
“For Mbatha-Raw, who has worked primarily in English television, “Belle” does amount to a Hollywood coming-out party of sorts, and the actress makes a captivating heroine; exuding the dignity and restraint of a young woman well accustomed to unequal treatment, she’s nonetheless unafraid to let fly a few verbal darts as occasion arises, delivered with a fiery eloquence in the best Austen tradition.” Justin Chang (Variety)
“Gugu Mbatha-Raw, most impressive” Bruce Ingram (Chicago Sun Times)
“It does showcase Mbatha-Raw’s considerable talent and should secure the rising British actress a spot on Hollywood’s radar as “12 Years” did for Lupita Nyong’o.” Betsy Sharkey (Los Angeles Times)
“But Mbatha-Raw isn’t listening to the tinny music around her in Lights. She’s too busy composing a symphony with her performance. As Noni, a pop star who wants her voice to be heard, Mbatha-Raw shows incredible range. She sells the portrait of a modern-day sensation beautifully in press appearances and in the video for her song “Masterpiece.” She also sells Noni’s inner struggle, her difficult relationship with her mother (played by an also great Minnie Driver), and her conflicted feelings about her savior and lover, Kaz (Parker). Most of all, she pulls all these different notes together into one woman. Her performance isn’t just dextrous; it’s cohesive.Ordinarily, such an achievement would be inspiring awards talk. And sure, Mbatha-Raw has a chance—she did just get nominated for a Gotham Award. But unfortunately, Lights just doesn’t have the right pedigree—it’s hard to imagine a film that opens at the Billboard Music Awards would be to the Academy’s taste. Which is a shame, because Mbatha-Raw’s electric work really does deserve kudos. (…) Now, Mbatha-Raw will get that same chance to break out. But hers is a more difficult battle, if for no other reason than Hollywood historically has problems finding meaty roles for women of color. It’s the very reason Viola Davis was so enthused about joining How to Get Away with Murder on TV this season. (…) But even outside of Lights, Mbatha-Raw has all the traits of a massive star. Earlier in 2014, she won plaudits for her performance in Belle, a period piece. She went from a girl donning corsets to a girl dominating charts in one year, showing versatility reminiscent of most of the actresses described above. (Stone, for instance, went from the period Magic in the Moonlight to the oh-so-contemporary Birdman this year.) The signs are there: Mbatha-Raw is playing all the right notes. Lights could be her chance to get the career she deserves—if Hollywood lets her.” Kevin O’Keeffe (The Atlantic)
BEYOND THE LIGHTS Reviews
“At the center of “Beyond the Lights” is Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who does her own singing and embodies Noni so fiercely that she sears the screen. This is a star-making performance; Noni is a complete 180-degree turn from the titular character she played in “Belle.. “Beyond the Lights” gives her complicated song and dance numbers, scenes of immense strength and overpowering weakness, and a romance that plays like a less tragic “A Star is Born” or”Mahagony”, had “Mahogany” been any good. This is an incredibly rich role and Mbatha-Raw commands every second she’s onscreen.” Odie Henderson (Rogerebert..com)
“A decade and a half later, Noni — now played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, so impressive earlier this year in “Belle”— is a Rihanna-ish diva on the verge of superstardom (…) this is very much Noni’s story, and Ms. Mbatha-Raw’s film, and both Mr. Parker and his character seem to recognize that with gallantry and good humor. “Beyond the Lights” may be a fantasy — movies about love, like songs about love, tend to fall into that category — but it is an uncommonly smart and honest fantasy. What it wants us to believe, most of all, is that despite all the ugliness and exploitation in the world of entertainment, the bond between artist and audience is a real and sustaining form of love in its own right. And the movie is marvelous proof of its own argument.” A.O. Scott (The New York Times)
“Mbatha-Raw received a lot of justified acclaim earlier this year for the period piece Belle, but believe it or not, this might be the more complicated, impressive part.” Bilge Ebiri (Vulture)
“Mbatha-Raw is shockingly good in creating both the “Noni” public persona and the real Noni, a woman beat down and depressed as she ponders how her mother and manager (an only-getting-better Minnie Driver) allowed her to get to this point. Mbatha-Raw proves she can put on a show as she’s more convincing as a modern day pop star than some of the “real” music stars who have tried to play fictional music divas on the big screen (yes, we’re looking at you Mariah and Christina). Mbatha-Raw was working in American television for years before “Belle,” but her role in “Lights” is the sort of turn that could lead to new-found attention from studio casting directors.” Gregory Ellwood (Hitfix)
“None of this would work without an equally tuned-in lead. She’s certainly got one in Mbatha-Raw, who delivers the most nuanced and naturally charismatic performance I’ve seen from an actress this year.” Elizabeth Weitzman (New York Daily News)
“Mbatha-Raw, so good this year in Belle, is dynamite. The dark fires she reveals under Noni’s cool exterior singe the screen.” Pete Travers (Rolling Stone)
“Mbatha-Raw continues to be a true revelation in a role that could be not be any more different from her star turn in “Belle” this year.” Kevin C. Johnson (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
“The fact that the film’s star, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, delivers a genuinely galvanizing performance as a singer searching for her own voice makes “Beyond the Lights” not just enormous fun to watch but surprisingly gratifying on an artistic level. Like the early Oscar hopeful Eddie Redmayne in the far more high-minded “The Theory of Everything” also opening locally this week, Mbatha-Raw undergoes an astonishing physical transformation in service to the role of a young British prodigy. The fact that “Beyond the Lights” proudly occupies a middlebrow genre means that Mbatha-Raw will most likely be overlooked for the season’s biggest awards, the casualty of snooty high-low distinctions that, with luck, will mean nothing to audiences who like their pulp escapism served with smarts and good taste….a star turn as compelling as any this year” Ann Hornaday (Washington Post)
“Mbatha-Raw looks, sounds and moves like an A-lister. If “Belle” put the actress on Hollywood’s radar, “Beyond the Lights” heralds her superstardom. A flurry of accolades and a record deal should follow.” Martin Tsai (Los Angeles Times)
“As the stunned deer in the headlights of fame, Gugu Mbatha-Raw is incandescent, playing a vulnerable young woman suffocating in the processed packaging of a sizzling pop goddess. (…) But the big surprise here is Mbatha-Raw, who turned heads this year in the period drama Belle. The emerging Brit actress proves she’s equally captivating in the very contemporary drag of a booty-shaking Beyonce-Rihanna clone, selling sex with a pumped-up R&B beat.” David Rooney (The Hollywood Reporter)
“Gugu Mbatha-Raw gives a fierce lead turn (…) Mbatha-Raw, who attracted her first waves of admirers with this spring’s “Belle,” is equally superb here, believably crafting a thoroughly modern, synthetic pop star without losing track of the organic human beneath.” Andrew Barker (Variety)
“The unutterably gorgeous Mbatha-Raw has the best “You had me at hello” eyes in the business and the charisma that has us rooting for her, for love, no matter the role. The real shock here is her musical presence, a voice that could take her into intimate clubs for the rest of her life, or with the right skimpy costumes and sexual choreography, into Nicki Minaj World. Like Noni. She gives life to this old-fashioned/sexually frank romance, totally believable as a woman who might be impressed by the strong man comes to her rescue, totally acceptable as a flashy-trashy candidate for Super Bowl halftime show. “ Roger Moore (McClatchy-Tribune News Service)