20 Essential Movie Performances That Will Define 2015

4. Carey Mulligan - Maud (Suffragette)

Release Date: September 11 (UK), October 23 (US) The Movie: Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) directs a script from Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady) about the early British women's suffrage movement of the late 19th and early 20th century. The Role: Though Meryl Streep will be playing legendary activist Emmeline Pankhurst, Carey Mulligan is in fact taking the lead part of Maud, a young wife and mother who must fight for her dignity at both work and home. Why It'll Define 2015: Mulligan's a fine actress who hasn't exactly been up to much recently, and given the potentially powerful tenor of the material, Suffragette could easily be a fine example of Oscar bait done right. It's a ripe part for Mulligan to secure her second Oscar nomination to date, and should be a fine rebuke to those who say that there aren't enough quality parts for women in Hollywood.