20 Best Movie Performances Of 2021

We could really include the entire central acting quartet of Fran Kranz's brilliantly calibrated drama Mass, so empathetic and authentic are their depictions of grieving parents on opposite sides of a school shooting.

But it's Ann Dowd - one of the most underappreciated character actors of her generation and who has been slowly but surely getting her due over the last few years - that soars ahead of the pack as the mother of the shooter.

It's a heart-rending performance, Dowd creating a staggeringly real portrait of a woman at once burdened by the guilt of her son's actions and unable to let go of the fact that, despite what he did, he was still her son.

Sadly the awards buzz just isn't quite there for Dowd despite delivering one of the best performances of the entire year, perhaps because the brutal subject matter and unsentimental approach are just too heavy for Oscar voters.