Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1983: Cher in Silkwood

Cher received her first Oscar nomination for her performance as Dolly Pelliker in Silkwood.

Silkwood is a strong movie about Karen Silkwood, a worker at a plutionium processing plant in which she finds out about some severe worker safety violations and is determined to expose them. Basically, Silkwood is Erin Brokovich done right - its story is captivating from beginning to end and gives its central character real depth and complexity inside of just painting a heroic portrait. The scenes in which the characters (first the one played by Sudie Bond, then Karen herself, played by Meryl Streep) are cleaned with a brush after they have been affected by radiations are absolutely shocking and devastating. 

Cher plays the role of Dolly Pelliker, Karen's lesbian roommate. Dolly is one of those role whose only task is to support the main character: she never has a scene truly devoted to her character, she is almost always acting in the background and she is never given much focus or screen-time. It's a performance that is entirely lacking in big moments and one that could very easily pass unnoticed: yet, Cher manages to make Dolly a memorable, mysterious, three-dimensional character that might not be flashy but it still lingers in your mind after you've watched the movie, and her subtly heartbreaking portrayal ends up being just as haunting as Meryl Streep's. First off, Cher succeeded completely in disappearing into the role: she completely drops her glamorous persona and inhabits the part of Dolly so well that I simply forgot I was watching Cher act. Dolly is often presented as an unkempt, plain-looking woman and I love how in this movie Cher carries herself in a worn out, spent manner that is perfectly fitting to the role. But most of all, she really digs deep into Dolly's depression - she never has a big moment in which she gets to portray her vulnerable emotional state out loud, but behind each of her line-deliveries you can feel the character's plight. I particularly love her deliveries of her comedic lines: she manages to make those lines funny but at the same time she says them with an underlying bitterness that makes them sound oddly touching as well. 

Considering how little time Cher has devoted to create her character, her chemistry with Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell (who plays Drew, Karen's boyfriend) is key to the success of her work: and, indeed, she creates with them a very interesting and unique dynamic that stands as one of the most interesting aspect of the movie. I really like her chemistry with Kurt Russell as both actors properly portray a certain affection and tenderness between the two but at the same time they show a certain coldness in particular moments that suggests an unspoken rivalry between the two for Karen's affections. And her chemistry with Streep is absolutely top notch: both actresses are wonderful in creating a believable, sincere friendship between the two but Cher on her part is particularly effective in showing that Dolly wants more from that relationship than Karen does. Dolly's attraction towards Karen is confirmed rather early in the movie when Dolly confesses Karen that she's in love with her: it's a very brief scene that basically consists of four lines but both actresses are excellent in it and Cher's portrayal of her character's heartbreak over her unrequited love is deeply moving, Her eventual relationship with her girlfriend is really more of a plot device than anything else, but Cher makes the most out of it: I particularly like how, while she shows sincere affections in her scenes with Diana Scarwid, she shows that her happiness with her is only superficial as she still shows a certain sadness within her behavior. My favorite moment of her whole performance is probably the scene with Streep on the porch after she and her girlfriend broke up: Cher is really heartbreaking in her portrayal of Dolly's loneliness and longing for Karen's love and her chemistry with Streep is stronger than ever - it's a truly poignant, unforgettable moment that is in my opinion the highlight of the whole movie. 

What makes me truly love of her performance is its final act, in which it's suggested that Dolly might have told something to the bosses of the plant about Karen's search for evidence of the violations. The scene in which Karen confronts Dolly about it is particularly great and, even if Dolly denies it and the movie never really gives an answer, Cher plants the seed of doubt in her portrayal, particularly in the way she seems to avoid eye contact with Russell and Streep and shows a certain guilt in her final moments with both actors. Her reaction upon hearing of *Spoiler* Karen's death *Spoiler* is particularly excellent as she not only shows perfectly Dolly's grief and sadness but also maybe a touch of remorse. 

Overall, this is an excellent performance from Cher who truly becomes the role and makes a lot out of nothing. She gives a captivating turn that made me care about Dolly - I was looking for her in every scene, even when she was in the background. It's a complex, intriguing performance that adds emotional power and depth to the whole movie. 

4.5/5