Short Term 12, on paper, sounds like a sappy sitcom on a major network that shoehorns in dramatic plot-lines on occasion. However, what Destin Daniel Cretton created was a subtle, emotive, and powerful portrayl of life in a group facility for teenagers, and delivers an incredibly honest portrait of what it means to be a victim of abuse. Brie Larson's role as the protagonist Grace cements the films power of examing the micro and the macro of the system and the people in it by making Grace grounded and empathetic. A truly exceptional performance by an actress on her way to the top.

When Kirsten Dunst won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, she was the first American to win since Holly Hunter in 1993. It was especially shocking considering most people knew Dunst as Mary-Jane from the Spider-Man Trilogy and she was not considered a "prestige" actress. However, much like Björk in "Dancer In The Dark", director Lars Von Trier was able to produce an absolutely heart-wrenching performance out of the unlikliest actresses by giving them amazingly written roles to play. Dunst's exploration of depression and hopelessness on a micro level elevated the themes of the macro-level plot of the film and brought about one of the most visually distraught (yet palatable) physical presences to film yet. (That scene where her sister is trying to get her to take a bath? Powerful.)

Jennifer Lawrence has had a complicated relationship with the public. They love her, they turn on her, they grow indifferent. It's all very back and forth. But before the franshises, before the quirky public persona, before thousands of people were scrutinizing her every word, there was her transcendant performance in "Winter's Bone". Unknown at the time, It's no surprise that this film launched her career as she gives one of the most daring, honest portraits of a person who would go underrepresented in most media. Finding the heart and hopes of a character in an unforgiving environment that would be cast out by most as just "white trash", Lawrence's performance cements one of the most thrilling mystery stories to come to film in the past decade. Her subtle touch to the character was a vast difference from Oscar nominees of other years who chew scenery like beavers in a lumber yard, and although it wasn't enough to land her the Oscar (in an admittedly tough year up against Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Nicole Kidman, and Anette Bening) she eventually won for Silver Linings Playbook. However, to watch Winter's Bone is to watch the birth of a star, and what a star it is.

Aubrey Plaza is most known for her performance as April Ludgate in the NBC television series Parks & Recreation, but she's been recently making the jump into fims.  She's recently had starring roles in zombie comedy Life After Beth and and the raunchy sex comedy The To-Do List, but her best leading role so far has been the time-travel dramedy Safety Not Guaranteed, which took one of the most absurd personal ads in recent memory and found the pathos and heart in the time-travelling hopeful (Mark Duplass) as Aubrey Plaza's character attempts to interview him.

Films about alcoholism aren't easy. To be a good film it needs to walk the fine line between ineffective and over-the-top Lifetime movie stylings, and the best way to ground a film on the topic is to get an amazing actor to lead the story. James Ponsoldt struck gold when he landed Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the lead role as a woman who engages in destructive, reckless behavior but still has all the qualities of a well-formed character: Her hopes and wants for like are not merely "have a good time", but to help children and be a good teacher. Winstead never loses sight of the honesty of the character, and never verges into a charicature of the disease of alcoholism. Truly a powerhouse performance.