The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Lisbeth is undeniably the film’s beating heart, largely due to Mara. She grants the heroine depth, conveying complex emotions in a subtle, vulnerable and humane way that doesn’t feel like a caricature. As opposed to being watered down to a bruised woman who needs saving, Mara’s performance is layered, as Salander appears to be guarded and icy at first glance but isn’t immune to actually feeling her emotions. Not only did she quietly convey standoffishness with a beating heart, but Mara physically transformed for the role, bleaching her eyebrows, chopping her hair off, changing her wardrobe and piercing her eyebrow, lip, nose, ears and nipple in order to better embody the character. A ward of the state, Lisbeth is threatened, abused and taken advantage of by those closest to her, namely her sadistic court-appointed guardian. Despite being an outsider shaped by trauma, Lisbeth learns how to cope and live with her struggles, never letting them overpower her and allowing her to tap into her thoughts and feelings at any given moment—and we see Mara go through all this. I wholeheartedly believe that Meryl Streep stole the Oscar from Mara at the 2012 Academy Awards.