Orlando Is a Sweeping Period Piece With an Unforgettable Tilda Swinton Performance

What is it about Tilda Swinton that makes her such a compelling actor? I mean, on the most basic level, she's just a good performer, one who thoroughly commits herself to any role she takes on. But I'd also say that what makes Swinton so captivating is how she always stands out from the crowd. Many performers excel by channeling an "everyman" quality, but Swinton's de facto aura suggests there's something idiosyncratic about her. It's an aspect of her acting that's especially impressive since she can use it in so many different styles and tones. In Lynne Ramsey's We Need to Talk About Kevin, for example, Swinton uses this aspect of her acting style in a haunting manner to indicate how detached her character is from the rest of society after her son becomes a school-shooter.

Sally Potter's The Party Is An Agreeable Gathering

Dinner parties rarely go according to plan in the movies and Sally Potter's The Party is no exception. A gathering for Janet (Kristen Scott Thomas) to celebrate her being appointed to the position of minister of the UK Health Service ends up spiraling into a lot of chaotic drama that rarely involves Janet. First her husband, Bill (Timothy Spall), announces he's dying and later states that he's also been carrying on an affair. then a coked-up Tom (Cillian Murphy) has his own insecurities relating to his marriage to hash out while Jinny (Emily Mortimer) and Martha (Cherry Jones), who are expecting a child, find themselves caught up in a potentially devastating argument.