Motherhood Plays a Prominent Role in Oscar Actress Races
In “The First Wives Club,” Goldie Hawn is perfectly cast as an Oscar-winning actress who finds a dearth of opportunities coming her way as she grows older. She famously complains, “There are only three ages for women in Hollywood: babe, district attorney, and Driving Miss Daisy.”
While there is a common complaint that women in film are often regulated to the roles of mothers and girlfriends, that’s not always a bad thing. This season is seeing a plethora of complex, fascinating women’s roles battling for space on the Oscar ballot while the men seem to pale in comparison. And some of the best performances of the year focus on motherhood, in all its glory and pain.
On the surface, “Arrival” may look like a film about an alien invasion. But even star Amy Adams say she sees it not as a movie about aliens, but as the story of a mother.
In the film, which has already received warm receptions as the Telluride and Toronto film festivals, alien ships land all over Earth, causing several countries to attempt communication with the visitors. On America’s side is linguist Louise Banks, played by Adams in a serious, solemn turn that seems to stem from the loss of her young daughter. Of course, with a director like Denis Villeneuve (“Sicario,” “Prisoners”) there is more than meets the eye, and this is no simple alien-invasion pic. Those expecting little green men with probes may be sorely disappointed, but those craving an intelligent, tense thriller that asks big questions and treats its audience with respect will be rewarded.
Adams is one of our most prolific actresses and has been nominated for five Academy Awards, but never for a role that found her playing a mother. And while she is the mother of a young daughter in real life, she didn’t feel it was a requirement for playing Louise.
“I would have emotionally connected to the character anyway,” she says. “But I think being a mom it hit me in a very different place. Love exists inside the knowledge of loss and I’ve never played that before, I’ve never had to tap into that as an actress and honor that reality.”
Also playing a mother mourning loss is Michelle Williams in “Manchester by the Sea.” Williams also has a daughter in real life, but was ably portraying motherhood as far back as her Oscar-nominated turn in “Brokeback Mountain.” Much has been made of the maximum impact she makes with minimal screen time as the ex-wife of Casey Affleck, who is also dealing with an unthinkable loss. Williams’ work is proof there are no small parts, and that playing a mom can involve so much more.
On the flipside of motherhood and loss is Felicity Jones, who plays a young mother dying of cancer in “A Monster Calls.” While she has no children herself, Jones forges a very special bond with the actor who plays her son, Lewis MacDougall. Just 11 years old when he was cast, MacDougall had only a small role in the 2015 “Pan” to his credit when he took on the lead role in “Monster,” which required him to delve deep for his heartbreaking performance. Director J.A. Bayona says the two actors got to know each other during rehearsal, and spent a day off set to deepen the bond. “They really took to each other very quickly,” says Bayona. “Felicity has such a natural warmth and kindness, and they looked out for one another on set.”
Other remarkable mothers soon to light up screens include Nicole Kidman in “Lion,” who plays the adoptive mother of an Indian boy named Saroo, played by Dev Patel as an adult. Though very much Saroo’s story, the film largely works because Kidman so perfectly plays the embodiment of unconditional love.
Then there is Annette Bening in “20th Century Women,” playing an unconventional single mother raising her teenage son in 1979 Santa Barbara. Her turn as Dorothea Fields is tour-de-force for the four-time Oscar nominee and it showcases her offbeat and unique talent in a way few films have.
And it’s not just “good” mothers who are earning raves this year. In the triptych “Moonlight,” Naomie Harris is the only actor to appear in all three time periods, playing the crack-addicted single mother of a boy named Chiron.
Even more impressive than her tough and tender performance is the fact Harris shot it all in three days — sometimes jumping time periods several times a day. For her final scene with the adult Chiron, played by Trevante Rhodes, she says the two didn’t have much time to prepare. “I spent a lot of time before shooting working on this character because I knew I wouldn’t have as much time when I got there,” Harris says. “In fact, I met Trevante five minutes before our big scene.”
Whatever the shooting schedule or screen time, whatever flaws their characters may have, all the actresses show there’s much to be celebrated in motherhood.
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