Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2013: Ranking

5. Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave

Lupita Nyong'o gives a powerful depiction of her character's plight but ultimately her characterization of Patsey remains a bit too thin to allow her performance to be truly great.

Best scene: The whipping scene. 

4. Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine

Sally Hawkins is a bit overshadowed by Cate Blanchett's leading turn but she nonetheless gives an effective performance in the quieter role of the two. She plays the role with moving subtlety and beautiful simplicity and handles very well her own little subplot.

Best scene: Ginger finally stands up to Jasmine. 

3. Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle

Jennifer Lawrence is a bit too young to play the role and the script kind of fails to give her performance a proper closure but she still delivers a memorable turn, making her character's ditzy behavior properly entertaining while also revealing beautifully Rosalyn's vulnerabilities.

Best scene: Sydney confronts Rosalyn. 

2. June Squibb in Nebraska

June Squibb overdoes it sometimes but for the most part she's terrific. She gives a hilarious performance that steals every scene she's in while still grounding her character quite a bit and conveying very well the history between Woody and Kate. 

Best scene: Kate defends Woody.

1. Julia Roberts in August: Osage County

Julia Roberts gives her best performance by far in this movie, portraying extremely well her character's bitter, tough attitude and then showing the pain that motives her unpleasant behavior. She nails her character's arc and doesn't miss any of the shades and nuances of Barbara.

Best scene: Bill leaves Barbara.

Honorable Omissions: In her extremely brief screen-time, Carey Mulligan delivers an explosively funny yet carefully layered performance in Inside Llewyn Davis, but on a rewatch I was even more floored by her performance in The Great Gatsby: Daisy is one of the most challenging role ever written but Mulligan is amazing at portraying all of the contradictions of the character. She brings the right amount of charm and allure to the role while also conveying Daisy's pathetic loneliness and painful awareness of her miserable state but also her hollowness and superficiality. It's an endlessly fascinating performance from a great actress. Lèa Seydoux is brilliant in Blue is the Warmest Color portraying wonderfully the mysterious Emma at every step of her relationship with the leading character. Sarah Paulson portrays her character in 12 Years a Slave with frightening but wounded ferocity and I think she would have been much worthier of a nomination than Nyong'o. Tilda Swinton is amazing in Snowpiercer, as she gives a performance that is consistently hilarious yet never compromises the dark tone of the movie, as she manages to light up the movie in a rather twisted way. On a rewatch, I also found Go Ah-Sung's performance in the same movie rather effective. Julianne Nicholson gives the best performance in August: Osage County with her heartbreaking portrayal of Ivy and in the same movie Margo Martindale gives a great performance as the acid-tongued Mattie Fae as well. Shailene Woodley gives a beautifully touching performance in The Spectacular Now and Kristin Scott Thomas's performance as the vengeful Crystal is the best thing of the disappointing Only God Forgives along with its stunning cinematography. Scarlett Johansson's voice-work in Her is extremely effective and Amy Adams' relaxed, subtle, natural and heartwarming performance in the same movie is worth-mentioning as well. Reem Abdullah is also extremely poignant and subtle in  Wadjda. I really did not care at all for The Bling Ring, but Emma Watson delivers an excellent, smart performance in it as she really seems to be the only one who gets the satire - she's deliciously over-the-top while still not going too far, and makes Nikki the most memorable character of the movie. Margot Robbie's performance in The Wolf of Wall Street is also a highly entertaining piece of work that adds life and color to the movie, with her final scene being particularly a standout. Nicole Kidman is somewhat underused in Stoker but she still gives a rather memorable performance as the emotionally unstable Evelyn and her monologue towards the end is downright chilling. 

The next year: 1955.

My Best Supporting Actress Ballot:

1. Carey Mulligan, The Great Gatsby - 5/5
2. Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer - 5/5
3. Léa Seydoux, Blue is the Warmest Color - 4.5/5
4. Carey Mulligan, Inside Llewyn Davis - 4.5/5
5. Julianne Nicholson, August: Osage County - 4.5/5 
6. Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now - 4.5/5
7. Sarah Paulson, 12 Years a Slave - 4.5/5
8. Kristin Scott Thomas, Only God Forgives - 4.5/5
9. Emma Watson, The Bling Ring - 4.5/5
10. June Squibb, Nebraska