For Your Consideration: Best Actor in a Leading Role
Film: “The Tree of Life”
Director: Terrence Malick
Writer: Terrence Malick
Realistic Nominations: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects
Oscar Scene: “Father, mother, always you wrestle inside me.”
Say what you will about Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” but many of its players gave some of the best works of the year including the young Hunter McCracken in his screen debut as “Jack.” Much of the film’s praise has gone to its direction by Terrence Malick or Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain as Jack’s parents. What McCracken achieves in the film is nothing short of astounding.
As the son of a very strict and ferociously tempered father, Jack embarks on a personal and spiritual journey, with his young brother in tow, Jack tries to find love in our questionable universe and existence. McCracken is layered in inner turmoil as he battles and emulates the very core and morose nature of his world. In his interaction with his brother Steve, we see the balance of Jack’s world while Malick’s unique narrative takes shape into a symbolic and unparalleled genius that we haven’t seen in 2011.
Even in his walks, mannerisms, and struts McCracken never loses focus of his purpose and in one of his final scenes with Brad Pitt (don’t want to spoil anything), does McCracken reveal his hand and engulf himself into one of the most promising actors to come out of the year.
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Josh P.
December 31, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Kris Tapley would be very happy about this mention. I’m not a huge fan of the film myself, but I do like the actors, and McCracken is the best performer in it.
Josh P.(Quote) (Reply)
Robert Hamer
December 31, 2011 at 6:12 pm
I would normally agree with you 100% and go on a tangent about him being an exception to the otherwise bare Best Actor field, except recent viewings of Weekend (review coming soon!), A Separation and Take Shelter have crowded this discussion for me in VERY short time. He’s still the child actor of the year, though…
Robert Hamer(Quote) (Reply)
Joseph Braverman
December 31, 2011 at 8:10 pm
This kid was great in the film! He and Chastain were the best performers by a landslide. It’s too bad Sean Penn could not do for this caracter what McCracken did.
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Joey Magidson
December 31, 2011 at 8:47 pm
I’ve been clear on being only lukewarm on the film, but I would honestly be completely fine with McCracken getting a surprise nomination…
Joey Magidson(Quote) (Reply)
koook160
December 31, 2011 at 9:59 pm
He, sadly, fell off my ballot. He’s still #6 and deserves any mention he can get. It was an amazing performance, and the scene you mentioned at the end was probably the most touching thing I’ve seen all year just because of his and Pitt’s performances.
koook160(Quote) (Reply)
Jim Wilson
January 1, 2012 at 11:33 am
One of the best child acting performances I’ve seen in a while and I’m annoyed it’s not really in contention at all.
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