20 Best Movie Performances Of 2021
10. Kirsten Dunst - The Power Of The Dog
Kirsten Dunst has been quietly building up a cachet of excellent performances across film and TV over the last decade-or-so, culminating in her stunning work in The Power of the Dog, as will surely net her the first Oscar nomination of her career.
As the lonesome, downtrodden widow center to Jane Campion's drama, Dunst's performance is the lynchpin around which the various other characters revolve.
Dunst paints a harrowing portrait of a woman desperate for contact but at constant battle with her own crushing insecurities, not to ignore the efforts of her new brother-in-law Phil to undermine her every act.
Dunst eschews explosive, awards-baiting histrionics for a more subdued picture of internal torment, and it's easily the best work of her career to date.