One can not help but be overwhelmed by the power, the stunning brilliance, and incredibly amazing performance by Ms. Emily Watson that assuredly deserved an Academy Award and which shames the Oscars forever because a Paltrow, Berry, or other flunky has received a statue and Watson has been brutally robbed. This is acting at its absolute finest and a role so perfectly realized by Watson that it can never be forgotten by anyone who has seen it. Never in the history of cinema has any actress so completely captured the very soul of a character and transferred it so expertly to film. It is indeed a film for the ages because of what Watson brings to it, the fire and passion she ignites the screen with, and the unbridled superbness of craft she puts forth. One is almost blinded by such brilliance and I was not the only member of the audience to stagger from the theatre upon first viewing of this film, breathless with astonishment and trembling with emotion as I tried to find words to express the depth of my feelings to my evening's companion. I could barely speak the word "Emily" and could see from my companion's eyes she was equally affected by what she had just witnessed and we shared the awe in silence as the dazed audience around us wandered as if numbed into the night. Rarely has a performance touched me in this way and yet with Emily Watson it is par for the course due to an unequaled talent that few if any other actor can begin to approach. I felt pummeled by her work, bruised by her electric might, and singed by her passion. That night was one I will never forget. I have never seen an audience literally struck dumb by a performance in a cinema. Since seeing this film I have found Watson routinely splendid and spectacularly superb in role after role. There is no doubt she is the single greatest living actor working in the English language today and this film serves as a perfect showcase for her magnificent genius.
Review of Hilary and Jackie
