3. Maria Bennett - The Impossible
Speaking of tough balancing acts, here you've got possibly one of the worst. The Impossible concerned itself with the events of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, offering a real-life account of how one family miraculously survived the devastation of that day. Aside from the awkward fact that the family wasn't actually the whiter-than-white unit depicted on-screen, the film is incredibly compelling, showcasing with devastating detail the true horror of a natural disaster. In the middle of this was Naomi Watts' Maria Bennett, allowing the actress further opportunity to evoke the sort of maternal fury that has become the key weapon in her acting armory (see also Eastern Promises and The Ring). Her Maria was horribly believable as a mother shorn from her children and unsure of their survival. It's every parents' worst nightmare, and Watts played it with uncomfortable beauty her character projecting her love unto an unknown toddler is almost heart-breakingly sad, and her sheer triumph of the will in negotiating a litany of screw-ups in the chaotic relief effort (all while seriously injured) has to be seen to be believed. There's a reason she picked up an Oscar nomination for this, and it's a great reward for her herculean effort she spent long days of a grueling shoot inside a water tank, meaning she's probably the only person to pick up a nomination from being consistently submerged.