Seventh Row Editors / November 28, 2019

Seventh Row’s 50 best performances of the decade

Seventh Row editors Alex Heeney and Orla Smith pick the 50 best performances of the decade, from Claire Foy to Jada Pinkett Smith. Read more best of the decade coverage.

Best performances of the decade — Seventh Row’s 50 favourite performances of the decade.

As we approach the final month of the 2010s, it’s time to look back on the best that this decade’s films have offered us. After we asked our critic and filmmaker friends to weigh in and picked our favourite films of the decade last week, we’ve decided to put together our own list of the decade’s best film performances. Below is the top 50 performances of the decade, as curated through discussions between Seventh Row editors Alex Heeney and Orla Smith. Our aim was to create a list that represents the decade as we see it, our own personal tastes, and the sensibilities of our publication. In other words, if you like these performances, we think you’ll like what we do at Seventh Row.

**Riz Ahmed in The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012, dir. Mira Nair)**

Riz Ahmed, The Reluctant Fundamentalist — Riz Ahmed gives one of the best performances of the decade in The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

**Gemma Arterton in Their Finest (2016, dir. Lone Scherfig)**

Gemma Arterton, Their Finest — Gemma Arterton in Their Finest.

Read our interview with Lone Scherfig

**Kate Beckinsale in Love & Friendship (2016, dir. Whit Stillman)**

Kate Beckinsale, Love and Friendship — Kate Beckinsale gives one of the best performances of the decade in Love & Friendship.

Read our interview with Whit Stillman

**Gael García Bernal in Neruda (2016, dir. Pablo Larraín)**

Gael Garcia Bernal, Neruda — Gael García Bernal gives one of the best performances of the decade in Neruda.

Read our essay on Neruda

**Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara in Carol (2015, dir. Todd Haynes)**

Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Carol — Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara give two of the best performances of the decade in Carol.

Read our essay on the
costume design in Carol

**Sonia Braga in Aquarius (2016, dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)**

Sonia Braga, Aquarius — Sonia Braga in Aquarius.

Read our essay on Aquarius

Read our interview with Kleber Mendonça Filho

**Timothée Chalamet & Armie Hammer in Call Me by Your Name (2017, dir. Luca Guadagnino)**

Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name — Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer give two of the best performances of the decade in Call Me by Your Name.

We wrote a whole book about Call Me by Your Name,
in which we analyse both Chalamet’s and Hammer’s performances in depth

**Jessica Chastain & Mia Wasikowska in Crimson Peak (2015, dir. Guillermo del Toro)**

Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Crimson Peak — Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska give two of the best performances of the decade in Crimson Peak.

Read our essay on Crimson Peak

**Tom Courtenay & Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years (2015, dir. Andrew Haigh)**

Tom Courtenay, Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years — Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling give two of the best performances of the decade in 45 Years.

Read our review of 45 Years

Read our interview with Andrew Haigh

**Tom Cullen & Chris New in Weekend (2011, dir. Andrew Haigh)**

Tom Cullen, Chris New, Weekend — Tom Cullen and Chris New in Weekend.

We wrote about Weekend in our
book on Lean on Pete

**Essie Davis in The Babadook (2014, dir. Jennifer Kent)**

Essie Davis, The Babadook — Essie Davis gives one of the best performances of the decade in The Babadook.

Listen to our podcast on Kent’s The Nightingale

**Laura Dern, Lily Gladstone, Kristen Stewart, & Michelle Williams in Certain Women (2016, dir. Kelly Reichardt)**

Laura Dern, Lily Gladstone, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Certain Women — Laura Dern, Lily Gladstone, Kristen Stewart, and Michelle Williams give four of the best performances of the decade in Certain Women.

Read our interview with Kelly Reichardt

**Elizabeth Debicki in The Tale (2018, dir. Jennifer Fox) & Vita & Virginia (2018, dir. Chanya Button)**

Elizabeth Debicki, Vita and Virginia, The Tale — Elizabeth Debicki gives two of the best performances of the decade in The Tale and Vita & Virginia.

Read our review of The Tale

Read our interview with Jennifer Fox

Listen to our podcast on Vita & Virginia

**Ralph Fiennes in Coriolanus (2011, dir. Ralph Fiennes)**

Ralph Fiennes, Coriolanus — Ralph Fiennes in Coriolanus.

Listen to our podcast on Coriolanus

**Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts, & Tilda Swinton in A Bigger Splash (2015, dir. Luca Guadagnino)**

Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tilda Swinton, A Bigger Splash — Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Tilda Swinton give four of the best performances of the decade in A Bigger Splash.

Read our Special Issue on A Bigger Splash,
which contains performance analyses on Johnson, Swinton, and Schoenaerts

**Ben Foster & Thomasin McKenzie in Leave No Trace (2018, dir. Debra Granik)**

Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie, Leave No Trace — Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie give two of the best performances of the decade in Leave No Trace.

We wrote a whole book on Leave No Trace,
which contains performance analyses on Foster and McKenzie

**Claire Foy in Unsane (2018, dir. Steven Soderbergh)**

Claire Foy, Unsane — Claire Foy gives one of the best performances of the decade in Unsane.

We wrote a performance analysis on Foy in our
book on feminist horror, Beyond Empowertainment

**Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha (2012, dir. Greta Gerwig)**

Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha — Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha.

**Hugh Grant in Paddington 2 (2017, dir. Paul King)**

Hugh Grant, Paddington 2 — Hugh Grant gives one of the best performances of the decade in Paddington 2.

**Eva Green in Proxima (2019, dir. Alice Winocour)**

Eva Green, Proxima — Eva Green gives one of the best performances of the decade in Proxima.

Read our interview with Alice Winocour

**David Gulpilil in Charlie’s Country (2013, dir. Rolf de Heer)**

David Gulpilil, Charlie's Country — David Gulpilil gives one of the best performances of the decade in Charlie’s Country.

**Adèle Haenel & Noémie Merlant in Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019, dir. Céline Sciamma)**

Adele Haenel, Noemi Merlant, Portrait of a Lady on Fire — Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant in Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Read our review of Portrait of a Lady on Fire

**Rebecca Hall in Christine (2016, dir. Antonio Campos)**

Rebecca Hall, Christine — Rebecca Hall gives one of the best performances of the decade in Christine

Read our analysis of Hall’s performance

**Regina Hall in Support the Girls (2018, dir. Andrew Bujalski)**

Regina Hall, Support the Girls — Regina Hall gives one of the best performances of the decade in Support the Girls.

**Eili Harboe in Thelma (2017, dir. Joachim Trier)**

Eili Harboe, Thelma — Eili Harboe gives one of the best performances of the decade in Thelma.

We wrote a case study on Thelma
in our feminist horror book, Beyond Empowertainment

**Anne Heche & Sandra Oh in Catfight (2016, dir. Onur Tukel)**

Anne Heche, Sandra Oh, Catfight — Sandra Oh and Anne Heche in Catfight.

**André Holland in Moonlight (2016, dir. Barry Jenkins)**

Andre Holland, Moonlight — André Holland gives one of the best performances of the decade in Moonlight.

Read our analysis of Holland’s performance

**Nina Hoss in Phoenix (2014, dir. Christian Petzold)**

Nina Hoss, Phoenix — Nina Hoss gives one of the best performances of the decade in Phoenix.

Read our essay on Phoenix and The Look of Silence

**Anders Danielsen Lie in Oslo, August 31st (2011, dir. Joachim Trier)**

Anders Danielsen Lie, Oslo August 31st — Anders Danielsen Lie gives one of the best performances of the decade in Oslo, August 31st.

Read our essay on Oslo, August 31st

Read our interview with Anders Danielsen Lie

**Ellie Kendrick in The Levelling (2016, dir. Hope Dickson Leach)**

Ellie Kendrick, The Levelling — Ellie Kendrick in The Levelling.

Read our interview with Hope Dickson Leach

**Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games (2012, dir. Gary Ross)**

Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games — Jennifer Lawrence gives one of the best performances of the decade in The Hunger Games.

**Garance Marillier & Ella Rumpf in Raw (2016, dir. Julia Ducournau)**

Ella Rumpf, Garance Marillier, Raw — Garance Marillier and Ella Rumpf give two of the best performances of the decade in Raw.

We analyse sisterhood in Raw in our
feminist horror book, Beyond Empowertainment

**Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Belle (2013, dir. Amma Asante)**

Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle — Gugu Mbatha-Raw gives one of the best performances of the decade in Belle.

**Samantha Mugatsia in Rafiki (2018, dir. Wanuri Kahiu)**

Samantha Mugatsia, Rafiki — Samantha Mugatsia in Rafiki.

Read our interview with Wanuri Kahiu

Lupita Nyong’o in Us (2019, dir. Jordan Peele)

Lupita Nyong'o, Us — Lupita Nyong’o gives one of the best performances of the decade in Us.

**Jack O’Connell in ‘71 (2014, dir. Yann Demange)**

Jack O'Connell, '71 — Jack O’Connell gives one of the best performances of the decade in ’71.

Read our review of ’71

Read our interview with Yann Demange

**Josh O’Connor in God’s Own Country (2017, dir. Francis Lee)**

Josh O'Connor, God's Own Country — Josh O’Connor gives one of the best performances of the decade in God’s Own Country.

We analyse O’Connor’s performance in
our book on God’s Own Country

**Théodore Pellerin in Genèse (2018, dir. Philippe Lesage)**

Theodore Pellerin, Genese — Théodore Pellerin in Genèse.

We analyse Pellerin’s performance in our
2019 Canadian Cinema Yearbook

**Jada Pinkett Smith in Magic Mike XXL (2015, dir. Gregory Jacobs)**

Jada Pinkett Smith, Magic Mike XXL — Jada Pinkett Smith gives one of the best performances of the decade in Magic Mike XXL.

**Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014, dir. David Fincher)**

Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl — Rosamund Pike gives one of the best performances of the decade in Gone Girl.

Read our review of Gone Girl

**Jack Reynor in What Richard Did (2012, dir. Lenny Abrahmson)**

Jack Reynor, What Richard Did — Jack Reynor gives one of the best performances of the decade in What Richard Did.

**Haley Lu Richardson & John Cho in Columbus (2017, dir. Kogonada)**

Haley Lu Richardson, John Cho, Columbus — John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson in Columbus.

Read our analysis of Cho’s performance

**Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn (2015, dir. Saoirse Ronan) & Lady Bird (2017, dir. Greta Gerwig)**

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn, Lady Bird — Saoirse Ronan gives two of the best performances of the decade in Brooklyn and Lady Bird.

Read our review of Brooklyn

**Andrew Scott in Pride (2014, dir. Matthew Warchus)**

Andrew Scott, Pride — Andrew Scott gives one of the best performances of the decade in Pride.

Read our review of Pride

**Kristen Stewart in Personal Shopper (2016, dir. Olivier Assayas)**

Kristen Stewart, Personal Shopper — Kristen Stewart gives one of the best performances of the decade in Personal Shopper.

We analyse Stewart’s performance in our
book on feminist horror, Beyond Empowertainment

**Devon Terrell in Barry (2016, dir. Vikram Gandhi)**

Devon Terrell, Barry — Devon Terrell gives one of the best performances of the decade in Barry.

**Tessa Thompson in Dear White People (2014, dir. Justin Simien)**

Tessa Thompson, Dear White People — Tessa Thompson in Dear White People.

Read our review of Dear White People

**Karidja Touré in Girlhood (2014, dir. Céline Sciamma)**

Karidja Toure, Girlhood — Karidja Touré gives one of the best performances of the decade in Girlhood.

Read our interview with Sciamma

**Rachel Weisz in The Deep Blue Sea (2011, dir. Terence Davies)**

Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea — Rachel Weisz gives one of the best performances of the decade in The Deep Blue Sea.

Read our essay on The Deep Blue Sea

**Zhao Tao in Mountains May Depart (2015, dir. Jia Zhang-ke)**

Zhao Tao, Mountains May Depart — Zha Tao gives one of the best performances of the decade in Mountains May Depart.

Read our review of Mountains May Depart