The Best Actress in a Drama film race is one of the most fascinating at this year's Golden Globes. The five nominees all have a solid chance of winning this award and it will be interesting to see how the Golden Globes ultimately vote.
Jessica Chastain- Zero Dark Thirty
Jessica Chastain is the leader in precursor awards thus far this season. She has taken home 12 Best Actress accolades from such noted organizations as the National Board of Review, the Boston Online Film Critics and the Washington DC Film Critics. In "Zero Dark Thirty" she plays Maya, a CIA operative that is on a mission to capture Osama Bin Laden. Chastain maintains an even keel throughout and even in her most testing moments, Maya finds a way to hold it all together. The performance is never over-emphatic and its reserved nature enables the main plotline of the manhunt to take center stage. Chastain is the front-runner in this category, but her victory could depend on whether the Hollywood Foreign Press will go for her understated performance or vote for a more openly expressive one. Chastain earned her first Globe nomination last year for her comic turn in "The Help."
Marion Cotillard- Rust and Bone
The French actress has enjoyed a solid career in Hollywood, but her best work has always been in her native country. This year's performance in "Rust and Bone" shows her as an amputee and the rawness of her performance could garner more recognition. She has been honored by the Hollywood Film Awards and Los Vegas Film Critics and could pick up her second Globe win. She won back in 2008 for her performance as Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose." She was also nominated in 2010 for her performance in the musical "Nine." Cotillard is a contender, but not a major one.
Helen Mirren- Hitchcock
The former Golden Globe winner gets a shot to generate some awards momentum as Alma Reville, the wife of film icon Alfred Hitchcock. Mirren's performance is a nuanced one that depicts Reville as a strong woman that is slowly crumbling emotionally from the lack of creative freedom in her marriage. Mirren has not won a single precursor award or generated much buzz and it is unlikely that she will win this race at the Globes. Mirren has been nominated for 11 Golden Globes and has won three times in her career. Her last victory came in 2007 for her turn in "The Queen."
Naomi Watts- The Impossible
"The Impossible's" late theatrical release has created little buzz for Watts, but she has been touted as a potential Oscar winner. She plays Maria, a woman in search of her husband after the Taiwan tsunami has separated them. Watts has not won any precursors because of her late entry in the race, but could easily steal a win on Sunday. If Chastain is to lose, Watts will be the likely winner in her first evenGolden Globe nomination.
Rachel Weisz- The Deep Blue Sea
Weisz is a dark horse to win this category despite her filming not being viewed by many. She plays Hester, a woman who has left her husband for a younger man. When her relationship does not turn out the way she envisioned, Hester ends up going into an intense depression. Weisz has scored two precursor victories from the Toronto Film Critics and New York Film Critics and has a big chance to win this category. The intense emotion that she expresses in this performance fits in line with the type of acting display the HFP likes to honor. This is her second nomination after her victory in 2006 for her supporting role in "The Constant Gardener."
Prediction: Naomi Watts steals the spotlight. Her emotional performance is exactly the kind the Globes would want. She also slated for a big awards run and this will be the start of it.