FILM #13
OF 39
95TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2023 OSCARS CHALLENGE
“BLONDE”
FEBRUARY 13, 2023
NETFLIX
DAY 21
OF 48
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Ana de Armas
Had Joyce Carol Oates’s novel and Andrew Dominik’s adaptation not been so controversial, I’m curious if the criticism of “Blonde,” and subsequentially, Ana de Armas, would have been less harsh. Dominik’s work is often under scrutiny, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Regardless, I saw de Armas’ performance as hands down one of the best of the year. She embodies the icon of Marilyn Monroe that we feel we’ve come to know over the years and brought something new to the role. Many people had problems with her accent or other aspects of taking on the part, but I thought she did an excellent job.
If all we ever got were countless retellings of her autobiography, her story would grow stale. But “Blonde” allows us to ask, “what if?” about a woman everyone thinks they know. And I commend everyone involved for taking the chance to tell this fictional story.
PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS
ANA DE ARMAS
| First-time nominee |
Based on the bestselling novel by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.
Directed by Andrew Dominik
Netflix
September 16, 2022
166 minutes
ACCOLADES
BAFTA Awards — Best Leading Actress (Nominee)
Screen Actors Guild Awards — Female Actor in a Leading Role (Nominee)
AACTA International Awards — Best Lead Actress (Nominee)
Capri, Hollywood Awards — Actress Award [Winner]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards — Best Actress (Nominee)
Chicago Indie Critics Awards — Best Actress (Nominee)
Golden Globe Awards — Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama (Nominee)
Internet Film Critic Society Awards — Best Actress (Nominee)
Latino Ent. Journalists Ass. Film Awards — Best Actress in a Leading Role (Nominee)
London Critics Circle Film Awards — Actress of the Year (Nominee)
New Mexico Film Critics Awards — Best Actress [Winner]
Phoenix Critics Circle Awards — Best Actress (Nominee)
Sant Jordi Awards — Best Actress in a Foreign Film (Nominee)
Spanish Actors Union Awards — Best Actress in an Int’l Production (Nominee)
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. Cate Blanchett — “TÁR”
2. Michelle Yeoh — “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
3. Michelle Williams — “The Fabelmans”
4. Andrea Riseborough — “To Leslie”
5. Ana de Armas — “Blonde”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. Michelle Yeoh — “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
2. Cate Blanchett — “TÁR”
3. Ana de Armas — “Blonde”
4. Andrea Riseborough — “To Leslie”
5. Michelle Williams — “The Fabelmans”
