Best Actress 2013: Jessica Biel, Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes

One of the actresses who didn't get a lot of press from Sundance was Jessica Biel.  I have this irrational fear that her career will go somewhere.  You know she's ambitious enough.  It's just that the stars haven't lined up for quite right yet.  I have this irrational fear that they will, perhaps because her drive is greater than her abilities.  There's just something unlikeable about her.  She stars, along with Kaya Scodelario in Francesca Gregorini's Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes.  The movie was originally rumored to star Rachel Weisz and Rooney Mara (who starred in Gregorini's film debut) and was filmed in the LA area. There are enough producers listed in the IMDb to choke a team of horses.

Critics had nice things to say about both actresses, some going out of their way for one or the other.  SLTrib: "Biel is good and so is Scodelario."  Twitch: "Every performance in this film feels raw, real, and true. Scodelario and Biel have a chemistry that is palpable."  THR: Scodelario "persuasively incorporate elements of magical realism ... Biel’s performance firmly anchors the film, until Linda’s life is dramatically cast adrift" and "accomplishes rather [a maternal role] persuasively." Slash Film: "Scodelario plays this perfectly."

Joblo was the one who worshipped the performances of both actresses, in comparison to the other reviews: "Scodelario ... [is] immediately captivating in the same way Elizabeth Olson or Jennifer Lawrence have been in past editions of the fest ... She's matched by ... Biel- in a performance that, if enough people see it, can be a game changer for her career. Anyone who's dismissed her as just another pretty face needs to see her as the obviously unbalanced, but vulnerable Linda. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that Biel's performance is truly multifaceted."  Toh!, however, greatly disagreed: "Scodelario ... falls short, overshadowed by the plethora of other gifted young stars at this year's fest."  Biel "looks far too manicured and Beverly Hills fresh for" [Spoilers].  The Film Stage and Screen Crave didn't even mention the performances.

As a side note: just briefly reading some of these reviews makes me wonder if bloggers in general are completely unaware how much of a film they spoil for a reader.  That is all.