10 Movie Performances That Got Too Real

What is acting if not an attempt to replicate real human experience on the big screen - to bring emotional honesty to characters as written?

A great actor will typically be able to disappear into a role to the extent that you don't see the A-list performer anymore: you just see the character.

But there are certainly movies which go in the other direction and actually lean into the association between player and part - whether fully intentional or not.

That's absolutely the case with these 10 performances, while while fantastic feats of acting in their own right all hit incredibly close to home.

From actors confronting their own personal demons to those "playing themselves" in particularly difficult periods of their lives, and even those who dared to pass commentary on their own movie careers, these performances were all unsettlingly lived-in.

Again, they're phenomenal, but they also bring with them an uncommon intimacy that can make them tough to watch.

But because we all secretly love seeing actors work out their traumas on-screen, it's little surprise many of these performances received major awards nominations - if not wins outright...

Netflix's Pieces of a Woman may be picking up justified awards buzz for the performances of Vanessa Kirby and Ellen Burstyn, but the film was also forced to contend with the controversial involvement of Shia LaBeouf.

On the eve of the film's release, LaBeouf's former partner, musician FKA Twigs, sued him for sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress.

Netflix pivoted by removing LaBeouf from their awards campaign for the film and downplaying his role in its marketing, but ultimately there's no escaping the unfortunate nature of the role itself.

LaBeouf plays Sean, who together with his wife Martha (Kirby) struggles to cope with the recent stillbirth of their child.

Numerous subsequent scenes see a frustrated, traumatised Sean lashing out at Martha, in a manner which proves infinitely more discomforting given the recent allegations made against the actor.

Though LaBeouf's performance is strong, many will simply be too preoccupied with the proximity the role has to his personal life to accept it as a mere piece of acting.