It could be fifth time lucky for the Irish actress. We have our fingers crossed that this film could be the one that sees Saoirse win big in the upcoming award season.
Despite being only 26 years old, Saoirse Ronan has already been nominated for four Oscars - three Best Actress nods for Brooklyn, Lady Bird, and Little Women, and one Best Supporting Actress nomination for Atonement way back when she was just 13 years old!
Before she turns 27, Ronan could have bagged her fifth nomination, and potentially her first actual Oscar win, thanks to her role in upcoming gay romance Ammonite. The movie premiered recently at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to receive near-unanimous praise from critics.
The movie is set in 1840s England, telling the story of acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) and a young woman (Ronan) sent to recover her healthy by the sea, and soon the two women develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
Directed by Francis Lee (the guy behind 2017's fantastic drama God's Own Country), and while Winslet is likely also set to be nominated for Best Lead Actress (which will be her eighth Oscar nomination), Ronan is more likely to be put forward for Best Supporting Actress. From the early reviews, it sounds like she could finally be on to a winner:
"Lee's bracing romantic drama is its own fierce animal: a movie nearly as steeped in the wonders of natural world as it is in the emotional lives of its uncommon characters." - Entertainment Weekly
"One of the finest films of the year: a shiveringly passionate period piece." - The Telegraph
"One of Lee’s brilliant choices is to refuse to put a soppy romantic gloss on the affair. He suggests instead that passion can blind lovers to a true understanding of each other as easily as it can open their eyes." - BBC
"Ronan and Winslet are beautifully matched, and their characters’ initially combative dynamic makes their eventual surrender all the more moving." - Los Angeles Times
There is no set release date for Ammonite in Irish cinemas (we'd guess early 2021), but you can check out the trailer for the movie right here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnDhlrs3XVM
