I suspect many of us who watch way too many movies for
our own good, and have grown immune to industry or social
media hype, recognize Rebecca Hall as the true real deal,
as one of the greats in our generation. The vast majority
of "highly acclaimed," "award-winning" actresses in
Hollywood are simply not in her league. Watching her
live on stage is near the top of my bucket list. In
_Permission_, which she has co-produced, she has probably
surpassed herself; her florid hand/arm gestures wouldn't
be out of place on a stage, now folding into herself
making her small, now spreading like a butterfly's wings.
Every scene with her is like a dance improv, electrifying
to watch. Alas, she is not in every scene; the rest of
the film is not at that level. (But I should credit Dan
Stevens for deliberately playing the dull straight man,
as the foil to her expressive personality, though. He
keeps very still though he himself has ample experience
on stage; I once saw him playing opposite Jessica
Chastain in "The Heiress" on Broadway.)

And that has been the problem with Hall for some time.
For such a great actress, it is sometimes hard to
pinpoint her signature work. My vote is for "Parade's
End"; her role in Stephen Frears' _Lay the Favorite_
was distinct too, and she got much deserved recognition
for _Christine_ (although the film-making there is
mediocre at best, the director being one of those
David Fincher wannabe's). But where is Hall's
_The Tree of Life_, _Zero Dark Thirty_, _Miss Sloane_?
I hope she seeks out the truly good directors to work
with, and not be content with the crowd she hangs out,
the SNL alumni and so forth; they are just not in her
league.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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