20 Best Movie Performances Of 2017

14. Mary J. Blige - Mudbound

There are numerous great performances in Netflix's universally acclaimed period drama, though the best and most surprising is that of singer Mary J. Blige, who portrays Florence Jackson, a cotton crop farmer whose son Ronsel (Jason Mitchell) heads off to war.

Blije completely disappears into the role, leaving not a trace of her well-known public persona behind, in a gruelling, vanity-free role that's widely expected to land her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination (which would make it the first acting nod for a Netflix Original).

What could've been an over-familiar portrayal of a concerned mother dares to be something more, a courageous portrait of motherhood in one of the most trying periods of recent human history.