After "Tár" premiered on the first day of September at the Venice International Film Festival, more than a few people called the Oscar race for lead actress over and done, sending a message to the motion picture academy to begin engraving the trophy with Cate Blanchett's name — provided they weren't one of those people who thought Lydia Tár was a real person and that the movie was an absorbing documentary about the life and times of a legendary conductor who has slept with Kristen Stewart.
But as we've seen in the last few months, for women in film, 2022 is not just about Blanchett and "Tár" and long, onstage interviews with the New Yorker's Adam Gopnik. Which brings us to the rankings of women who got us talking, including two from "Women Talking," in movies these last 12 months.
15. Olivia Colman, "Empire of Light": Would anyone be surprised if Colman earned a nomination, even for a movie that has triggered more than a few critics? Sam Mendes' sweet paean to the power of movies has issues, but Colman makes you overlook them (for the most part) with a turn that pivots from grief to fury and back again with authority.
