2019 Oscars Challenge: [1] “The Wife” – Best Actress in a Leading Role

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GLENN CLOSE
“The Wife”

Director: Björn Runge
Producers: Rosalie Swedlin, Meta Louise Foldager, Piers Tempest, Piodor Gustafsson, and Claudia Bluemhube
Writers: Jane Anderson
Based On: “The Wife” by Meg Wolitzer
Cinematography: Ulf Brantås
Editor: Lena Runge
Composer: Jocelyn Pook
Distributors: Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date: August 17, 2018
Run-time: 100 minutes

CHARACTER SYNOPSIS: Glenn Close plays Joan Archer, a wife questioning her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Select few actresses are afforded a role as versatile as that of Joan Archer. She must remain a supportive and understanding wife, despite the troubled past of her relationship with her unfaithful husband and a glaring secret that is hidden between the two of them. Glenn Close gets to play happy, reflective, confused, annoyed, torn, and honored, all in a blend that feels like the Olympics of acting. It’s no wonder Close is the front-runner in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category. Not only has she won the Golden Globe Award in Drama, but she’s also carrying a SAG nomination with her to the Oscars as well. With six previous nominations (and zero wins), she might just be due. Not that being due is why she should win, as her role is so dynamic, it elevates the entire film. That is more than apparent with any film that only comes out of the Oscar nominations with one acting nod. She’s the title character and she does most of the heavy lifting. Close’s reflective state reminds of Charlotte Rampling’s performance in “45 Years,” which got her an Oscar nomination as well.

Close’s biggest competition likely comes in the form of Olivia Colman. Not only did she also win a Golden Globe Award, except in the Comedy category, she is also in a film that has much more adoration, having received multiple acting awards and even a Best Picture nomination. The support might be more behind her. In that same vein, however, the fact that Close comes out of a film that has absolutely no other nominations could be the support is 100% her to pull this off. The only other actress I’ll put on the radar is Yalitza Aparicio, whose nomination came out of nowhere, showing the strong support for Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma.” Is that enough to garner her rallying support for a win? As of right now, this does seem to be Glenn Close’s to lose.

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