The 2022 Oscar nominees for best actress represented five separate films, none of which received nominations for best picture. This was for myriad reasons, whether it be film quality, intended audience or rampant commercial misogyny. Nonetheless, it represents a broader issue of equity in the film industry: Actresses are either given bad movies to make the best of or great movies that aren’t allowed to grow.
For winner Jessica Chastain, it was mainly an issue of film quality. Chastain won for her performance as Tammy Faye Bakker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (2021), a film that earned a mere 69% on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, the win was not undeserved; much of the commentary around Chastain was that the performance was strong, but the film was lackluster. This narrative is similar for Nicole Kidman, another best actress nominee for “Being The Ricardos” (2021). The film is generally considered one of Aaron Sorkin’s lesser works, being a somewhat hodgepodge biopic of Lucille Ball, which itself only scored a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, Kidman shines as Ball herself, bringing gravitas and weight to the unbalanced screenplay. These performances are both stellar, but their films lack a certain quality that would push them into the best picture category.
The other films represented in the best actress category lacked broader nominations not in quality but in the size of the films themself. This is particularly true of Penélope Cruz, who starred in the dazzling “Parallel Mothers” (2021). The film is beautiful and intellectual, but it is fairly indie and doesn’t have the massive production value of the other best picture nominations. Similar is Kristen Stewart, who gained critical acclaim for her performance as Princess Diana in “Spencer” (2021). “Spencer” subverts biopic expectations, providing a more intimate and less sprawling look into a life. Stewart shined, but the film was not palatable for broader audiences. Finally, Olivia Colman was nominated for her performance in “The Lost Daughter” (2021), a beautiful and gripping film that captured audiences. Still, the film was smaller in size, led by first-time director Maggie Gyllenhaal. Ultimately, none of these films had the cultural scale to achieve a nomination for best picture.
The Oscars have a chronic problem of failing to give films nominated for best actress broader ceremonial recognition. This is an issue of the industry itself; female-led films are not allowed to grow to the height of a best picture nominee. Rather, they must be high-quality indie darlings or poor-quality big budgets. The film industry must create space for female-led films of magnitude. Without that, male-centered films will always hold the spotlight and a diversity of stories will never reach the limelight.
