2. Cristina Peck - 21 Grams
The premise of 21 Grams is incredibly original and batsh*t insane. Inspired by the experiments of 20th century physician Dr. Duncan McDougall, who tried to prove the existence of the human soul by postulating that the weight human beings lose when they die (his first experiment showed 21 grams) was in fact the soul. It uses this to tell a tale of tormented souls brought together by a horrible accident. Watts plays Cristina Peck, a loving wife and mother who also happens to be a recovering drug addict. The whole film is non-linear, but her path goes thus when her husband and children are killed she falls off the wagon and is pursued by Paul Rivers, who received her spouse's donated heart. Fixated on the man responsible for the hit-and-run accident which cost her her family, she goads Paul into killing him. From there, all hell breaks loose. Though the film is stuffed with dramatic heavy hitters such as Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn, for my money it's Watts who takes the prize here. Watching go through the nonl-linear wringer of huge emotional torment, all while interspersed with smaller character moments is a heartbreaking sight, and utterly worthy of the Oscar nomination she received.