How do we speak when no one will listen? How do we plead with the walls that refuse to help us in our hours of greatest need. And how do we make those connections and showcase the power that comes from persistence until we have nothing left to give, but still work to give everything? It’s a hard thing to look at in our everyday life, even harder in fictional portrayals where the danger isn’t real.
The tragic truth of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep) is one which has no clear answers. Her death is shrouded in mystery and shows no clear answers. But it was clear that leading up to her death was a fight she was willing to engage in, and that fight was evident because what was at stake would change people’s lives in terrifying ways.
The movie portrayal of Karen in Silkwood is one of determination and drive. Meryl Streep plays the role as a woman possessed by her goals and this ramps up the character’s journey throughout the movie by making the stakes continue to escalate.
Silkwood is a true story, but a true story is not always an exciting one. And the narrative adjustments often come into play because the story is trying to both captivate and inform. This is complicated because it can alter the truth. But the goal is not always to be honest, it’s to tell a story worth watching. And that includes the portrayal of the lead character. If that character doesn’t have a goal then nothing will work. And Streep gives Karen a strong goal that drives her journey through the movie.
At the end of the day the people telling the story need to tell it in the best way possible for that particular story. And Silkwood, while certainly having feet in reality, has a lot of questions it needs to answer in order to better help its audience connect with the material. By adding stakes to the moments, that in real life may not be exciting, it helps them seem more interesting and helps us connect with the performance.
So let’s breakdown this performance.
My criteria for judging each performance is as follows.
Intentions and Choices – What was Meryl doing as a performer and did it come across in a way that was interesting and compelling?
Physicality and Vocal Choices – Was there a select set of choices for Meryl’s posture, gestures, rhythms, accents, and all other physical aspects, and did they help add to the character or distract from it?
Character Backstory – Were there choices Meryl made that showed us secrets beyond the script or screen? Did those choices add to her work or were they something that took us out of the present story.
Stand Out Moments – What scenes from the movie worked the best, or worst, and how did those reflect on Meryl’s performance?
Overall Movie Quality – How is the movie outside of Meryl’s performance? Is it a brilliant work because of her, in spite of her, or is her performance the only thing that makes the movie redeemable?
So let’s break down Karen Silkwood in Silkwood:
Intentions and Choices – Karen is one of the most driven and determined characters Streep has played. Every choice is clearly motivated and pushed forward by a myriad of tactical choices. This character has no choices happen by accident and nothing but pure intentions in all of her actions. (10/10)
Physicality and Vocal Choices – Karen feels heartier and more grounded than several of Streep’s other characters, and her accent helps to sell this one. The role works well to keep us endeared to Karen and her story but also showing a really well-rounded aspect of her character. (9/10)
Character Backstory – I feel like the backstory is there but not full defined in a way that helps to sell the character more than the story at hand. Silkwood isn’t so concerned with what was happening as it is with what is happening. (6/10)
Stand Out Moments – The brutal moment when she gets taken to decontamination for the third time is absolutely stellar. Everything about that moment shows the terror, the truly concerning hesitations and tempo of the scene and ultimately Streep’s performance sells the whole thing. (8/10)
Overall Movie Quality – Silkwood is fine. It’s got a lot of great moments but it’s not stellar compared to a lot of other similar movies. Is it worth watching? Yes. More than once? Maybe… (6/10)
Total Score 39/50
Current Ranking:
Kramer vs. Kramer
The Deer Hunter
Sophie’s Choice
Silkwood
The French Lieutenant’s Woman
We’re just about a quarter of the way through this series. It’s taken a bit due to holiday commitments but we’re making it through. Hopefully we can go without getting delayed much more.
So until then, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated.
Ploominate 