The film’s harvest was good this year, the Hollywood stars were shining again, the slap (Will Smith) was almost forgotten; In short, the Oscars return in the early hours of Monday for the awards show, where most of the favorites seem unshakable until they shake things up. But one category, the first female lead, is by far the most interesting. Not only because we actually have five great performances from the candidates, but also because at least two of them have been accused of playing… “dirty”.

Since the most recent, just last Tuesday, Michelle Yeoh, star of the groundbreaking “Everything” and a favorite in the betting odds category, reposted a Vogue article on social media in which she supported her nomination against archrival Cate Blanchett with various arguments. This last element, slandering – even indirectly – another candidate, is against the rules of the Academy, so Geo saw the “yellow card” and was forced to gradually withdraw the post. Fortunately for her, voting for the Oscars ended on the same day, so this is unlikely to affect the outcome.

About a month ago there was a reaction to the candidacy of Andrea Riseborough. The British star of What Life Brings was in the top five at the Oscars around the…window when her kind Hollywood friends staged a whole campaign of support, bypassing the traditional practice of running Oscar-winning campaigns. The fact that her own nomination left the category without a “black” performance didn’t help much, while Margot Robbie, who did an excellent job in Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, must feel a little offended too.

Predictions

Michelle Geo’s presence is a catalyst, but Cate Blanchett’s performance is almost unimaginable due to the complexity of this particular character’s portrayal.

But let’s stay in the present. Michelle Yeoh, as we said, is one of the favorites for a role in the surprise movie of the year (Everything), which is not at all out of the question to overwhelm the Oscars evening as a whole.

Geo’s presence is, of course, a catalyst, from dramatic scenes to martial arts, and would have rightfully earned her her first Oscar if not for Cate Blanchett. The performance of the Australian actress in Todd Field’s “Pitch” is not only defining, but almost unimaginable due to the complexity of building and embodying this particular character. She has the impression that no actress of her era could achieve such a multifaceted result as easily as she did. As for the duel between the two ladies, it will certainly be tough: on the one hand, Blanchett won the corresponding Golden Globe, while Geo was awarded (most recently) the corresponding Screen Actors Guild award, which, as a rule, is also safe. Oscar omen.

However, this category has other interesting aspects. Michelle Williams, for example, in a year may even become a favorite for her role in Steven Spielberg’s Fabelmans. Film-deposit movie veteran, despite seven nominations, is likely to leave the ceremony empty-handed, fatally addictive and Williams. However, one cannot ignore the fantastic work he did in this particular film, as well as the overall stability of a career that already has five Oscar nominations.

The youngest in the group and clearly more inexperienced is Ana de Armas. The Cuban actress is starring in Andrew Dominic and Netflix’s 8th Golden Raspberry (!) nominee Blonde, but she’s in the top five at the Oscars. This paradox in itself says something about the tremendous dedication she has shown playing the legendary Marilyn Monroe in a very challenging role, both physically and mentally.