What Are the 10 Most Underrated Film Performances of 2021?

It's beyond frustrating that each awards season the same pattern seems to take shape. A small group of artists is mentioned over and over with very little room for inclusion. These "front runners" are established by Oscar blogs, and that's pretty much it. It's like high school cliques: Rarely can anyone else make it in. Sure, a surprise nominee will crash the race on occasion, but it's the exception when it should be the rule. Why must a consensus be established so damned early, leaving so many amazing artists are left out in the cold?

I don't want to complain too loudly, since my favorite film, "The Power of the Dog," is heavily in the mix this year, but I would love stronger support to be voiced for nominations for Marlee Matlin, Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Javier Bardem. All are still in the race, but are now considered long shots.

Marion Cotillard has been Golden Globe nominated for her beguiling work in the divisive, rock infused "Annette." Alas, it's really a supporting turn. Marion's soul-stirring "I Will Haunt You, Henry" continues to play in my head, but will Oscar voters bother to watch it?

Frances McDormand may have three lead Oscars, but her strong work as Lady Macbeth in "The Tragedy of Macbeth" is ferocious. So why is Denzel Washington the only one being mentioned?

Daniel Durant should be getting more attention for his wonderful work in "CODA," but his fellow cast members seem to be eclipsing him.

Al Pacino was quite good (as was Gaga) in the otherwise poorly-cast "House of Gucci," which featured the most offensive performance of the decade – Jared Leto's insult to all Italians, as well as the acting profession.

The "West Side Story" performances that should be getting attention, Mike Faist's captivating Riff and David Alvarez's intense Bernardo, are not. Instead, hosannas are going to the overrated, overacted, and underwritten supporting female performances. (Did he just...? Yes, he did!)

And the late surge for Nicolas Cage's performance in "Pig" is a sign that perhaps sometimes odd but wonderful films can make their way past the most popular fare.

Here are my selections for the Top 10 Most Underrated Performances of 2021 (alphabetically).

Clayne Crawford in 'The Killing of Two Lovers'

Clayne Crawford could be the name of a western outlaw. Or a gay porn star. It happens to be the name of an extraordinary actor chock full of IMDB credits who made an indie called "The Killing of Two Lovers," where he plays a man desperately trying to hold onto his family. It's a compelling turn that feels so authentic the viewer feels like a peeping tom watching. (That's also thanks to Robert Machoian's fascinating directorial choices.) Crawford's the real deal.

Naomie Harris in 'Swan Song'

Naomie Harris should have won the Oscar for "Moonlight." There, I wrote it. Harris's performance was understated and sublime. Love Viola Davis, but she was the lead in "Fences" and bit showy for my taste. Harris is continuously superb in everything she does. And this year, in Benjamin Cleary's somber "Swan Song," Harris elevates the film to the level of poetry.

Sharon Horgan in 'Together'

One of Britain's best kept secrets, Sharon Horgan played the mean teacher in "Everybody's Talking About Jamie," but her most striking performance in 2021 was in Stephen Daldry's "Together," about a couple on pandemic lockdown who must face some severe truths. Horgan and James McAvoy are magic together. And she manages to make a sometimes-obvious script seem fresh.

George MacKay & Jannis Niewöhner in 'Munich—The Edge of War'

Netflix has so many award contenders this year that smaller gems like "Munich - The Edge of War" get buried, along with the film's two terrific central performances by George MacKay and Jannis Niewöhner.

Based on the best-seller by Robert Harris, the cusp-of-WWII-spy thriller becomes so much more thanks to the layered work by the leads. MacKay, who proved his brilliance in "1917," is masterful as a young man whose duty to country must be paramount. And Niewöhner is simply captivating. He shows us his character's internal conflicts and isn't afraid to make bold choices. There is also more than a slight tinge of homoeroticism. I sensed MacKay coyly subtextualizing a deep crush on Niewöhner.

Martha Plimpton in 'Mass'

Now in her fifth decade of acting onscreen, Martha Plimpton has finally been given a role that should be an awards slam dunk. The problem – if you want to call it that – is that her mesmerizing performance as a shattered mother whose child was involved in a high school shooting is part of a quartet of fine actors in Fran Kranz's searing "Mass." Still, it is Plimpton who has the biggest emotional arc.

Renate Reinsve in 'The Worst Person in the World'

Despite winning the Best Actress Award at Cannes earlier in the year, for her amazing work in Joachim Trier's refreshingly nuanced "The Worst Person in the World," Renate Reinsve has not been in the conversation. Could it be subtitle aversion? Foreign language performances have made it into the acting categories before. This one deserves to be in consideration.

Diana Rigg in 'Last Night in Soho'

Absolutely no one is talking about the late, great Dame Diana Rigg in her final screen performance, and just how potent it is! Maybe because to chat about it is to reveal the denouement of "Last Night in Soho," where her relationship to other characters becomes quite clear. But, in that finale, she commands the screen, and on a second viewing Edgar Wright's '60s throwback film blossoms and Dame Diana's presence shines brighter because of her filmic cache as well as her formidable gravitas. This titan of stage and screen has never even been nominated for an Oscar, so for her not to be in the awards conversation for such a wonderful final bow is criminal.

Franz Rogowski in 'Great Freedom'

After amazing work in Michael Hanake's "Happy End," Christian Petzoid's "Transit," and Terrence Malick's "A Hidden Life," German actor Franz Rogowski delivers one of the most remarkable performances of 2021 in Sebastian Meise's riveting "Great Freedom," Austria's International Oscar submission. The film examines the life of one imprisoned gay man (played with unnerving energy yet understated grace by Rogowski) during the post-WWII years, when infamous anti-gay law Paragraph 175 was still being enforced in Germany. The film, and the actor, should not be overlooked

Filippo Scotti in 'The Hand of God'

This year has seen quite a few young breakout performances lauded – most from English-language films – and yet, one of the most impressive is from Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino's most personal film, "The Hand of God." Newcomer Filippo Scotti does the near-impossible as 16-year-old Fabietto. He channels the young director while creating his own complex, repressed, confused young man, one who is eventually saved by soccer and saved again by cinema. Lui è la cosa reale. (He is the real thing).