Am I the only one who thinks that she has the best performance in this film? For a (then) nonprofessional actor and a 16 year-old, she is utterly incredible. I've always thought that her screen presence is like a force of nature.
I'm surprised she's not as big as Kate Winslet.
Live your life. Forget your age.
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Winslet is a great actress, but yes, her performance in this film was too broad; and, sometimes, a bit dull.
but it is disappointing that she never had much of a career after this outstandingly impressive debut.
I agree. You gotta give it up for Melanie in this film. She had only been discovered 2 weeks prior to the filming and had no acting experience previously. Phenomenal breakout performance.
shareShe was pitch perfect as the ugly-duckling, outcast girl. I would have guessed she'd had tons of acting lessons before this film. Phenomenal.
"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"
She was phenomenal! Her character send chills up my spine especially towards the later end of the film.
shareI agree. Best performance in the film.
I wouldn't say Lynskey hasn't had much of a career though. She has worked consistently since Heavenly Creatures, and though she may not be the STAR Winslet is, she is a recognizable and well-respected character actor who has played a wide variety of roles. It's a career most working actors would be thankful for, I think.
A young girl passes / in a hurry. Hair uncombed. / Full of black devils. --Kelly Link
Ugly? She's beautiful.
shareJohnnyH73: I mean that she doesn't play a beautiful girl in the film. Paul looks unkempt most of the time and has squinty, nose-wrinkling mannerisms that Lynskey got exactly right in portraying an awkward teen. I didn't say Lynskey herself was an ugly suckling.
Get me a bromide! And put some gin in it!
Looks go a long way in that profession
shareYou must have never seen what Melanie looks like outside of this role.
https://41.media.tumblr.com/5b7364a62a038a633a84ae9c2474b217/tumblr_mvj6r93a4z1sglqbho1_1280.jpg
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I thought she ran away with the film. The only other thing I've seen her in has been a bit part in 'Shattered Glass.'
"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"
I've seen Melanie in Win Win (very good there, though not a huge role); The Frighteners (really just a walk-on as a police woman); Ever After (she reminds me of Drew Barrymore actually); Rose Red (very good with more to work with); Sweet Home Alabama (supporting "friend" role); Foreign Correspondents (kind of strange movie but she did well in it); Shattered Glass (really like this film); Coyote Ugly; Abandon; But I'm a Cheerleader; Detroit Rock City. I really should check out her newer stuff. I think she was excellent in Win Win, a film not many people probably saw. She played the mom of a teenager and had a few really strong scenes. I wish she'd do more because she can handle it and Hollywood needs to recognize it.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
She's unbelievably good in this film. I discovered her in Ever After and only realized her in this film after. I loved her in Ever After and felt she stole that entire picture. In my own acting, she's one of the people I look to for how beautifully they embody their characters. I think the characterizaton of Winslet as dull is inaccurate, she was phenomenal. The scene where she's told she's going with her mother to South Africa and being left there is a thing to behold, my god. But Melanie is a force here. And she HAS consistently worked. Being a working actor is often preferable to being a "star," and this may be right where she wants to be.
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