The claim that
Kristen Stewart is a terrible actress has been in circulation for a
while now, mostly due to her work in the "Twilight" series. I've never
been able to comment on this before, as I still haven't seen any of the
"Twilight" movies, and I've managed to miss just about every other movie
that Kristen Stewart has had a significant role in over the past few
years. The only exception was "Snow White and the
Huntsman," where she looked dazed and not quite all there for most of
her scenes. But in the last few weeks, I've seen all three of the 2014
releases that Stewart appeared in, and I think I have a much better
picture of her as an actress. And not only can she act, I think she's
awfully good in the right role.
Let's
start with "Still Alice," the Alzheimer's drama that Julianne Moore won
her Oscar for. Stewart plays the title character's youngest daughter
Lydia, an aspiring actress who becomes one of her mother's strongest
sources of support as her disease progresses. It's not a very big or
interesting part, but substantial enough to get a sense of Lydia's place
in her family's changing dynamics, her hopes and aspirations. Stewart
has no trouble holding her own in her scenes opposite Julianne Moore and
Alec Baldwin, who plays her father. And unlike her blockbuster turns,
here Stewart was fully engaged, brought plenty to the role, and made a
very good impression on me overall. No sign of a disastrously
wooden bad actress to be found.
Next
was "Camp X-Ray," where she plays a young guard at Guantanamo Bay who
becomes friendly with one of the prisoners. I found the film itself fundamentally flawed, but Kristen Stewart was perfectly fine as the
lead. She's onscreen constantly, in practically every scene as Private
Cole, who quickly becomes disillusioned with her work in the prison.
Stewart is very credible as a soldier, thanks in large part to the
script taking pains to show her strictly regimented daily routine,
interactions with other soldiers, and the impact of the military culture
on her behavior. Stewart manages to give Privale Cole a strong
presence though, and here you can definitely see her characters fit a
certain type - introverted, insecure to a certain extent, and struggling
with some inner turmoil. Stewart is also also likeable, engaging, and
very good at conveying her character's often difficult emotional state.
And
that brings us to "Clouds of Sils Maria," the one that Stewart won a
Cesar for, the French equivalent of an Oscar. In "Sils Maria," She
plays Valentine, the awkward assistant to Juliette
Binoche's aging actress, Maria Enders. It's one of Olivier Assayas's
terribly thoughtful character dramas, one I found a little too indulgent
for my taste. However, I really enjoyed Kristen Stewart here. Binoche
is excellent as she always is, but Stewart is the standout in the
film. As Valentine she's still reticent, but far more talkative and
expressive than either of the other two roles allowed. She gets to be
playful. She gets to be funny. Especially delightful are a few meta
bits where she gets to comment on her own past work in terrible genre
pictures. You can certainly see why the French got excited.
I
think Kristen Stewart's bad reputation comes from taking roles in big
blockbusters that don't suit her. She works best in smaller, more
intimate films. Unlike Jennifer Lawrence or Anne Hathaway, she doesn't
have the larger-than-life quality of a marquee movie star. And many of
our best actresses don't. If you didn't see Michelle Williams as Glinda
in "Oz the Great and Powerful," count yourself lucky. You could say
Kristen Stewart doesn't have a lot of range, or that she still has a
long way to go before reaching her full potential. She's certainly made
some terrible choices. However, there's no question that she can act.
And I look forward to her getting on with her career and putting the
whole awful "Twilight" business behind her.
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