This one's for the ladies

Hello ladies. Look at your man.

Now back to me. Now back to him.

Now back to me.

Sadly, he isn’t me, but he could be as cultured as me if he knew that 2010’s movies have had some of the strongest female performances in years.

There’s no doubt that every year one could make a case for the strength of actresses as a whole. Last year in particular had people picking teams of all things.

But 2010’s Oscar race is a barn burner. There are about six locks in the Best Actress category already, which is obviously a problem. And that’s not to mention the very deserving performances that will either be snubbed, forgotten or ineligible.

First, Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams and Lesley Manville, three of the arguable locks, are in movies yet to be released. Those are Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan,” the indie romance “Blue Valentine” and Mike Leigh’s Cannes hit “Another Year,” respectively.

But for the films I have seen, this is the year I point to when I hear in my gender classes that there aren’t any good representations of women in the media.

Some of the best work of the year was done by Noomi Rapace, the Swedish starlet whose punked-out performance as Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” has surprisingly only made her an outside contender come Oscar season, though she will qualify for a nomination.

Lisbeth is portrayed not without her sexuality or her vulnerability, but she stands as a patron saint in the face of abuse and sexual assault by men everywhere.

What’s more, in the upcoming American version of “Dragon Tattoo,” Rooney Mara can only hope to redefine goth and punk fashion the way Rapace already has.

Another two locks happen to be from the same film, “The Kids Are All Right.” Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are equally matched woman protagonists playing two lesbian mothers of a pair of artificially inseminated teenage kids.

These are character depictions you simply don’t see in film. Their personalities are so authentic, their chemistry is pitch-perfect and they are as charming and whip-smart as anyone in modern film.

The last sure thing is Jennifer Lawrence of the big winner at Sundance, “Winter’s Bone.” The film is a cold-blooded thriller from the middle of America, and Lawrence plays a teenager fighting to maintain the family’s household from foreclosure after her father disappears.

What’s intriguing about this character is she hardly comes across as the “provider” stereotype. She’s a teen, a mother, a woman, a fighter, an intellectual, a sister; she’s just a remarkably well rounded character.

Lawrence is marvelously subdued here, and she may be the front-runner in this race.
And the best performance of the year in my mind is Tilda Swinton’s, who will likely not even be eligible for an Oscar nomination.

“I Am Love” gives her a turn as a Russian mother in an Italian family. She’s in charge and powerful, but she’s a slave to her feminine urges, and Swinton has a way of showing grief in a way few actresses can. And she does it all in two languages, both not her own.

The names I’ve listed are the shortlist of soon-to-be superstars at the Oscars.
Marion Cotillard, Diane Lane, Olivia Williams and Greta Gerwig are all captivating in their own ways, too.

Giovanna Mezzogiorno of “Vincere” and Soledad Villamil of “The Secret in Their Eyes” are legends in their native countries, and they’ve already received all the accolades they’re going to get.

One could even make a case for Angelina Jolie for “Salt” or her upcoming movie, “The Tourist,” Dakota Fanning for the underrated “The Runaways” or even the young Chloe Moretz for either “Let Me In” or “Kick-Ass.”

They say behind every great man there stands a great woman.

This year, the women stand alone.