10 Best Movie Performances Of 2015

By Taylor Burns /

9. Emory Cohen - Brooklyn

It€™s far from the flashiest performance on this list, and Emory Cohen€™s performance in Brooklyn is unlikely to be considered for any awards, let alone be in with a chance of winning any. But it remains that in his own muted way, Cohen€™s quietly stunning in John Crowley€™s and Nick Hornby€™s adaptation of Colm Tóibín's novel. Handsome but not obviously so, the actor relies on technique and mannerism to get across his charm, mimicking (though obviously not matching) a young Marlon Brando in his sometimes inaudible delivery and his predilection towards slight self-deprecation. His chemistry with Saoirse Ronan is a slow-burn at first. They obviously like each other, but it€™s not some sheer primal urge. Instead it builds out of genuine affection until naturally that urge develops €“ once it has, it€™s inevitable that the relationship will become sexual. Bar entry #6 on this list, Cohen acts with his face better than any other performance on show here, often looking up from under his eyebrows in a way which calls to mind both impudence and lure. His entrance in Brooklyn is one of the best on this list, catching Eilis€™ (Ronan) eye from across the room as he leans on a pillar (this shot is analogous with the one at the film's close, when it€™s Eilis who waits for Cohen€™s Tony across the road in a pose which mirrors his in the party scene) before slowly making his way towards her, sure of himself but not, ready to change both her life, and his.