1) Shame
Of all the great Oscar injustices of recent times, the fact that Michael Fassbender wasn’t even nominated for Best Actor in 2012 stung more than most.
In his second collaboration with Hunger and 12 Years A Slave director Steve McQueen, Fassbender not only gave one of the best performances of that year, but one of the most by-turns compelling and difficult-to-watch portrayals of addiction ever. As Brandon, an anonymous office worker who also happens to be a sex addict, Fassbender is at his peak.
Obviously seeing the potential after introducing him to the world with Hunger, McQueen puts Fassbender through his paces in Shame, requiring him to be alternately likable and detestable, charming and slimy, detached and passionate.
It’s the most complex role of Fassbender’s career to date, and he’s mesmerizing, playing the part like he’s not even playing it at all. And despite the complexity of the part, it’s the most natural the actor has ever been. In shocking flashes, he’s at his most powerful here, too.