Mia Wasikowska: Explaining the faults
My first experience with Mia Wasikowska was with the 2010 remake of "Alice in Wonderland" of which I was not impressed with her performance, or the movie as whole. I thought the role had been miscast (not that perfect casting would have helped), and assumed that they chose her for her long blonde hair. She appeared to recite the dialogue completely flat and without expression, reminding me of Keanu Reeves and Kristen Stewart. These feelings solidified with her performance in "Crimson Peak", directed by Guillermo del Toro; A movie so cliche it becomes unintentionally comedic.
However upon a dry-spell of content to watch, and thinking about actresses of whom I have not reviewed equitably, I decided to go back and revisit her. I watched her entire filmography.
I've changed my mind.
Mia Wasikowska can act. Really, really...... really well.
I now blame her lackluster performances with Alice and Crimson Peak on bad writing/dialogue and bad direction.
Watching her body of work: Films praised by critics for writing, her acting was commonly noted. She has a unique acting trait I hadn't noticed: An intense and romantic pragmatism. A trait that likely takes time, trust and patience on the part of directors to film. Many times I found myself in tears as the camera held on her face during an emotional scene (i.e. In Treatment: Sophie Finale, Jane Eyre, Tracks). All of these titles received overwhelmingly positive reviews that specifically mentioned the quality of writing.
Her major supporting roles are strong (The Kids are Alright, That Evening Sun, Lawless), despite limited onscreen time. These are down-to-earth, blue collar, character driven movies, not CGI packed action/fantasy blockbusters. In the clutter of big budget box office monsters the beauty of a subtle performance can be overlooked, lost or intentionally edited out.
What I learned: When the writer and director are more concerned with the look of the set and the special effects she either:
A: Internally regrets her decision to take the movie and dramatically lowers her expectations.
B: See's the movie for what it is and delivers only what is asked of her.
C: The director or producers are rushing the actors through the movie so they can get back to playing with the effects; and the actors don't get to deliver the quality of work they would have preferred.
With good writing and good direction, Mia Wasikowska can get behind the character and deliver a performance that feels so genuine, you forget you're watching a movie. The emotion is real: emotion and realism can be both pronounced and subtle simultaneously, and this revelation shocked me. I began the first movie with complete disdain and finished the last movie loving this actress.
Mia Wasikowska is an actor that shines on the spirit and poignancy of complex emotional character writing and requires the trust, patience and support of a serious director to execute it properly.