Nyad

First of all, I refuse to let this film be slept on. It’s an absolute must-watch that deserves to be a big awards player, particularly (but not only) because of its acting. This feels like the performance that should finally make Annette Bening an Oscar winner, and I just hope Netflix throws enough weight behind the movie. I can’t remember the last time I had the pleasure of witnessing such talented 60+ actresses play such incredibly rich roles, and I don’t want to even entertain the thought of them getting no recognition.

Timing both stars was quite interesting, especially once I got halfway through and determined Jodie Foster was on track to hit 51% (whereas Bening was projected to reach 72%). In the end, Bening landed at 66.32% and Foster at 49.75%, which means that the latter’s would be one of the 10 longest performances ever nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. It’s also longer than any of her three Oscar-nominated lead turns by at least four minutes / 2%. Even so – and even though she comes within 0.1 point of matching Margot Robbie’s percentage in Barbie – the supporting category is where she belongs.

I’ve never posited that screen time should be prioritized when determining category placement. What I do believe is that every performance should be examined on a case-by-case basis and that screen time can be of use to varying degrees. In Foster’s case, her screen time doesn’t matter much at all, as her character quite literally exists to support Bening’s. In a way, I’m reminded of The Motorcycle Diaries, in which Rodrigo de la Serna appears for over an hour (52%) but remains supporting from a purely narrative standpoint. My stance on Green Book is similar, albeit more controversial.

By-the-numbers or not, I admire and appreciate Nyad and its stunning cast and will be beating the drum for it and them all season.