Best Lead Actor: Timothée Chalamet

By Lark Breen

Movies are designed to suck viewers in and create an alternate reality, an escape or possibly a reflection of truth that forces them to consider something new about life. Great actors learn how to create those alternate realities with time and practice, honing their skills through experience both in front of the camera and in their real lives. But Timothée Chalamet didn't need that time. Performing in both best picture nominees Lady Bird and Call Me by Your Name as entirely different characters, Chalamet shows breadth and promise as a rising actor. His performance as Elio in Call Me by Your Name earned him the Academy Award nomination for best actor, and he deserves to win.

Call Me by Your Name is a coming-of-age movie set in the idyllic countryside of northern Italy, wherein Chalamet's trilingual, musically talented, intelligent and well-liked character realizes love. His tears, his longing, his timidity and ultimately his passion tie together every subtle move of the other characters and every visual metaphor of the setting.

If you need proof that Chalamet deserves to take home the little golden statue for one of his first roles, just look to the very end of the film. As Chalamet sits in front of the fireplace, the camera closes in on his face. The actor holds onto gut-wrenchingly strong emotion (no spoilers, but I'll just say his performance is painful and feels incredibly real) for minutes on end while his co-stars perform mundane tasks in the background. With his execution of the joy of requited love as well as embarrassment, devastation, jealousy and yearning in Call Me by Your Name, Chalamet has convinced me he can do anything, play any role. Gary Oldman is likely to beat him out in the end with his intimate portrait of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, but Chalamet is certainly worthy of the award for best actor.