Jackie

Three things stood out for this film. Firstly, Natalie Portman's transformational performance. She was utterly astounding and absolutely enthralling as she inhabits the role of Jacqueline Kennedy. This is to her what Margaret Thatcher was to Meryl Streep. She made Jackie such a layered character and never allowing her to be clearly defined nor her inner thoughts and motivations transparent.

Secondly, was director Pablo Larrain's style. Filming the story almost documentary-like, it gave a sense of immediacy and intimacy (and even voyeurism) to the proceedings on screen. And the constant close ups gave the actors no chance to let up on their performances. The camera constantly embraced Portman's face and she never broke. An absolute magnetic presence.

Thirdly, was the production. The costumes, hair and makeup were gorgeous. The score was a character on its own, haunting, intimate, jarring and yet also an extension of Portman: constantly heightening her emotions. Both Costumes and Score are on track to nab the Oscars.

This film truly belonged to Portman and perhaps the only other supporting actor that stood out was the late great John Hurt; Peter Saarsgard, Greta Gerwig and Billy Crudup fulfilled their roles sufficiently.

In terms of just acting and technique, Portman here was definitely ahead of Emma Stone in "La La Land". However, Stone (with Ryan Gosling) completed the magic that was "La La Land" and it was that mystical factor that made Stone a front runner in the Best Actress race.