We haven't seen that much of 48-year-old actress Melissa Leo, but we haven't seen that little either. She's been around, in critically acclaimed cinema like The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and 21 Grams, as well as formulaic tripe like Mr Woodcock and Righteous Kill.
Now, just like Richard Jenkins, the character actress gets a chance to showcase her skills.
Melissa Leo is up for Best Actress for her work in Frozen River, and here's what the critics have been saying:
Richard Corliss, Time Magazine:
'Leo plays superbly in that patient vein. There's nothing overtly heroic about her as she plods forward under her burden of her small-scale dreams. She's not cynical, but she's not expecting much, either. She's just knowing and accepting of what fate, good or bad, but never transformative, throws at her.'
'You can see it in her eyes, in her wiry body's alertness to both danger and opportunity. The reserve in Leo's performance, the way it earns our sympathy without asking for it is, is screen acting of the highest order. And her seeming artlessness is reflected, as well, in the rest of the no-name cast's work.'
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Text: Raja Sen
Also Read: The Oscar Nominations, 2009
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