Saturday, January 05, 2008

Best Supporting Actress, Class of 2007: Tabu

I have seen so few movies in theaters this year and, admittedly, many of them just happen to have great male supporting roles but not so many female ones. Really, I'm a huge fan of Cate Blanchett's turn in I'm Not There, even if I'm not that much of a fan of the film -- but that would be too easy. I also really enjoyed Kelly MacDonald's turn in No Country for Old Men, but that could have something to do with the accent.

The Namesake, however, seems to hinge on the character of Ashima, both in terms of the chronology which really begins and ends with her, and in terms of the narrative structure, since she really is the character that holds it together. And, though she is very well known in India, her presence in Nair's film is refreshing, yet grounded. Plus, as can be seen above, she can pull off girlish rebellion while wearing her future husband's spats. It's not quite the lead role in this very ensemble film, but it's the linchpin and the performance sticks.

For these reasons and more, I submit my candidate for Best Supporting Actress 2007: Tabu.

This entry is part of the 2nd Annual Supporting Actress Blogathon -- please feel free to visit the other sites on the list, since I know for sure they have probably seen more films than I have and the list is always fun and varied

3 comments:

Dave said...

I love this performance and am really glad someone else appreciates it; but I see it as a lead performance. But whichever, it's a really beautiful and memorable performance.

Michael Parsons said...

I was so going to write about this performance! Thank you for doing so. One of the best of the year.

Abhi said...

I also love this performance. I am Bengali (like the characters in the movie) and Tabu totally reminded me of my mom. Especially when she calls out "Do not go too faaar. He is too litttttle!"