Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2016: Ranking

5. Michael Shannon in Nocturnal Animals

Michael Shannon is definitely among the best elements of this poor movie, but he is still heavily limited by the writing behind his character. Nonetheless, he's an enjoyable presence whenever he is on-screen and when he gets the chance to deliver, he does.

Best scene: Bobby reveals that he is dying.

4. Lucas Hedges in Manchester by the Sea

Lucas Hedges can't quite save the movie's least interesting storyline, but he makes up for it in the rest of his scenes. Hedges delivers a realistic portrayal of a teenager trying to cope with his grief, bravely depicting his character's despicable qualities while still managing to create an understanding to his actions. His chemistry with Affleck is terrific.

Best scene: Patrick finds out Lee is going to leave.

3. Dev Patel in Lion

Dev Patel carries the second half of the movie impeccably. He is wonderfully endearing in his first few moments, and as the movie progresses he believably portrays his character's growing frustration and anguish but also his undying hope. He shares a fantastic chemistry with his co-stars, especially Nicole Kidman, and brings the needed emotional impact to the ending.

Best scene: Saroo reunites with his biological mother.

2. Mahershala Ali in Moonlight

Mahershala Ali delivers an absolutely fantastic portrayal of his complicated character: he really nails the role of Juan conveying all of his complexities and contraddictions. He makes for a warm and loving presence while still showing his guilt and shame over his profession. He only appears in the movie's first act, but he leaves an incredibly lasting impression nonetheless.

Best scene: His final scene.

1. Jeff Bridges in Hell or High Water

I basically love Ali and Bridges just the same, but for the time being I'm giving the edge to Bridges' fantastic performance, even if he is in the wrong category. Bridges gives a wonderfully entertaining performance and he shares such a wonderful chemistry with Gil Birmingham, while still subtly grounding the character. In the movie's thirs act, Bridges is absolutely outstanding, nailing every single emotion with his final confrontation with Chris Pine being one of the best acted scenes of the year.

Best scene: His aforementioned confrontation with Pine.

Honorable Omissions: Mahershala Ali deservedly got a nomination for his work, but there are other excellent performances to be found in Moonlight, such as Jarrel Jherome's, Ashton Sanders', Andrè Holland's and Trevante Rhodes'. Sanders is great at portraying Chiron's emotional turmoil and Jherome effectively reveals Kevin's tenderness: their chemistry is fantastic and they make the scene at the beach absolutely unforgettable. Holland brings the needed charm and warmth to the role of the adult Kevin and he pays off Rhodes' performance very well: speaking of Rhodes, not only he has a mesmerizing screen presence but he gives one of the most emotionally powerful performances I have ever seen. He shows so well Chiron's vulnerability behind his tough façade and each of his small reactions is just so perfectly handled - he doesn't need to speak much, his body language and eyes convey every single feeling and thoughts of Chiron. It's a delicate, beautiful portrayal and his final scene is devastating in its honesty. Martin Scorsese's Silence has a fantastic supporting cast as well: Yoshi Oida and Shinya Tsukamoto are very moving at portraying their character's faith in such a honest fashion, Liam Neeson makes the most out of his limited screen-time with his portrayal of a shattered man who has given up his faith, Issey Ogata is both an entertaining scene-stealer and a chilling villain and Tadanobu Asano oozes malice in his fantastic portrayal of what's probably the movie's most interesting character. But my favorite out of the supporting players is Yosuke Kubozuka who is amazing in a role that could have easily felt like a joke: he realistically and poignantly portrays his character's cowardice and makes his character's intense desperation and moral conflict truly compelling to watch. Toby Kebbell does not have a lot of screen-time in A Monster Calls but he is very effective in his role, showing both his character's affection towards his son but also his flaws as a father. Ben Foster is a astonishing in Hell or High Water as he gives such a compelling portrayal of his character's ruthless, unpredictable nature but also bringing the needed while also bringing the needed emotional impact to his few moments of reflection. Gil Birmingham is also very good in the movie, sharing a great chemistry with Bridges and being such a wonderfully funny, touching and warm presence. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is by far the best thing about Nocturnal Animals, making Ray an unforgettable, terrifying villain and being such an unpredictable presence whenever he appears. Valerio Mastandrea, Marco Giallini, Edoardo Leo and Giuseppe Battiston are all terrific in Perfect Strangers (Perfetti sconosciuti) (more detailed thoughts on their performances can be found under Jeff Bridges' review) and they are part of what makes the movie such an original, unique experience. Sam Neill gives a wonderful performance in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, sharing a fantastic chemistry with Julian Dennison: he is entertainingly grumpy in his first scenes and then properly warm in the final act, while nailing every single step in between. Stellan Skarsgard is fantastic in Our Kind of Traitor, making for such an entertainingly larger-than-life presence while conveying the desperation and regrets of the great character that Dima is. Damian Lewis is just as terrific in the movie: past having a very unique and compelling screen-presence, Lewis is amazing at showing his character's personal plight behind his determination and beautifully brings to life his character's gradual loss of cynism over the course of the movie. Alden Ehrenreich is by far the best thing about Hail Caesar! along with the Production Design, as he gives a truly entertaining and endearing performance in which he pulls off perfectly even the trickiest lines and makes the "Would that it were so simple" the funniest scene of the movie. Kevin Costner delivers a good supporting performance in Hidden Figures, showing his character's dreams behind is occasionally abrupt demeanor in a rather moving fashion. Vincent Cassel is amazing in It's Only the End of the World, finding a lot of nuance in a possibly one-note role: he commands the screen whenever he's on but never delivers a showboating performance, and he's actually quite heartbreaking at portraying his character's desperation behind his agressive behavior. Laurent Lafitte is rather charming in his first scenes in Elle and as the movie progresses he does a great job at portraying his more disturbing qualities, while Billy Crudup and John Hurt are both incredibly well in their potentially limited role in Jackie. Hugo Weaving is remarkable and moving as Desmond Doss' troubled, alcoholic father in Hacksaw Ridge while Dan Fogler delivers an absolutely wonderful, endearing and entertaining performance in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, also thanks to his terrific chemistry with both Eddie Redmayne and Alison Sudol. 

The next year: Best Supporting Actress 2016.

My Best Supporting Actor Ballot:

1. Trevante Rhodes, Moonlight - 5/5
2. Mahershala Ali, Moonlight 
3. Yosuke Kubozuka, Silence - 5/5
4. Ben Foster, Hell or High Water - 5/5
5. Vincent Cassel, It's Only the End of the World - 5/5
6. Damian Lewis, Our Kind of Traitor - 5/5
7. Stellan Skarsgard, Our Kind of Traitor - 5/5
8. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals - 5/5
9. Ashton Sanders, Moonlight - 4.5/5
10. Sam Neill, Hunt for the Wilderpeople - 4.5/5