Though we might not have been able to visit friends and family this year, we were still able to connect with our favorite actors on-screen. Through powerful acting chops and coordinated filmmaking, their characters reach out to us and make us feel the tangibility of their emotions and personal stories. Some familiar faces and some newer ones, these are the actors and actresses who have impressed us this year with their memorable performances.

Delroy Lindo in Da 5 Bloods

Da 5 Bloods was a thrilling and emotionally moving film from Spike Lee, but Delroy Lindo makes the film even more impactful. His performance is enough to make you either cry or want to look away as the broken and severely damaged man that he portrays. Da 5 Bloods features a great cast but the paranoia and unhinged actions of Delroy Lindo is one of the many reasons to view this movie several times.

-Rick Rice

Lindo gives a heart wrenching performance as the British actor plays an American named Paul with PTSD from the Vietnam War. Revisiting the place that has haunted him awakens Paul in a strange way. It is real, sad, and overall the most passionate and best performance of the year.

-Tyler Justin Pruyn

Elizabeth Moss in The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man was a fantastic feature film that premiered this year, that portrayed the very real implications of an abusive relationship through a thrilling visual metaphor. Taking on the role of a victim of abuse is a daunting task. Moss met this task very nobly, delivering a fantastic performance that truly made her character someone to root for.

-Natalie Holderbaum

Hands down the best performance of the year, Moss is able to brilliantly portray a woman having a breakdown as she is stalked by her ex-boyfriend.The slow decent into madness is brilliant and Moss proves why she is an actress to be reckoned with.

-Noah Pfister

Sacha Baron-Cohen in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and Trial of the Chicago 7

One of my top performers this year is Sacha Baron Cohen, in The Trial of the Chicago 7. I thought he did an excellent job as Abbie Hoffman and his performance in general was great! Then to top it off in his “documentary” Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, his did an amazing job with showing how America is actually doing during this pandemic, I thought it was an eye-opener and the ending of the movie with Rudy Giuliani let out such a loud gasp!

-Jessica Ceniceros

Who knows how much of this movie would have changed if the Pandemic was not a thing but you have to give credit where credit is due for Sacha Baron Cohen. He manage to not only bring back his iconic Borat character for this sequel, but he also brings a bit more depth to this character. Not only was he doing something risky by filming during a pandemic as a character that may get some outrage by the people he wants a reaction out of, but he also still manages to have the likability of the first Borat still intact. He’s oddly charming with the character not only having more at stake in this film but also having more development with his daughter, making this movie have a surprising amount of heart to it. It may have been about 14 years late, but Cohen’s return of Borat was surprisingly welcomed in a year full of strange unexpected surprises

-Ryan Pineada

Margot Robbie in Birds of Prey 

An excellent casting that was honestly wasted four years ago back when Suicide Squad came out. Thankfully, 2020 manage to give Margot Robbie a proper Harley Quinn movie with Birds of Prey. Even though it really should have stuck with the Harley Quinn title first as the Birds of Prey are only second fiddle, but as a Harley Quinn film, it’s more of what we should have gotten with this character. Not only do we get more development with Harley but Margot is able to fully embrace the wild and rambunctious Harley Quinn we love. She’s funny, expressive and full of energy, plus she works off great with her all female costars with the Birds of Prey. Here’s hoping that she will be able to give this good of a performance as this character in James Gunn’s upcoming The Suicide Squad.

-Ryan Pineada

I was not a big fan of Suicide Squad; me being the annoying feminist I am, I did not enjoy the male created version of Harley Quinn. But in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, I found Harley Quinn to be so quirky and more of her true cartoon character and I think it gave Margot Robbie a more creative platform to play around with the character.

-Jessica Ceniceros

Millie Bobby Brown in Enola Holmes

Millie Bobby Brown tears up the screen in this unexpected hit. Winking and smirking her way through a world that doesn’t want to give her the chance she deserves, her ability to navigate those road blocks makes for our enjoyment throughout.

-Raymond Flotat

Ji-hu Park in House of Hummingbird

I liked Eun-Hee’s character in House of Hummingbird. Even though she is quiet, her emotion and acting ability shines through. She goes through so much throughout the film, and in the way she performs and the director’s direction, her, along with the other characters in the film appear raw and real, not just plot points.

-Melissa Cusano

Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Chadwick Boseman’s last film was also one of his strongest, with an expert performance as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The theatrical writing style gives him the chance to show off his range like never before, and he creates a memorable experience sharing his character’s backstory.

-Leilani Reyes

Emotion oozes from Boseman in his best, and final performance of his career. He portrays a struggling musician that is clashing with his fellow bandmates. His performance really shines when he goes into details about his difficult past. A heart breaking performance.

-Alexander Howard

Emotion oozes from Boseman in his best, and final performance of his career. He portrays a struggling musician that is clashing with his fellow bandmates. His performance really shines when he goes into details about his difficult past. A heart breaking performance.

-Gabrielle Burton

He gave such a powerful performance that he pulled at my heartstrings more than any actor I’ve watched before.

-Cassandra Reichelt