Flawed Women; Weisz's Personal Choice
To anyone who is as much of a self-confessed fan of Rachel Weisz as I, it is no secret that her personal choice of role in film is flawed women. As she, herself, has stated plentifully, she finds herself allured to the roles of women for which scriptwriters have envisaged to seem flawed, or even in the words of Weisz herself, "ordinary women who do extraordinary things".In being such a devoted fan, I felt compelled to write about this, as on a whole I find her to be somewhat unappreciated, if not at times overlooked due to her choice to engage in films that are not likely to be the next big blockbuster, or to acquire an extortionate amount of awards or even attention. On more occasion than one - and on more occasion than I am able to list - Weisz has worked on the set of minor films, based on her desire to commit to a role that has great appeal to her. Through having watched every film she has been cast in, it comes as no shock to discover that nearly all of her roles consist of these aforementioned flawed women.
Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardener is potentially the most pertinent of them all; Weisz' role as Tessa Quayle earnt her the deserved awards and appreciation she claimed. Weisz played the role of an Amnesty Activist, an ordinary woman driven and determined to right the wrongs pursued by a drug company who carried out drug tests on seemingly invalid members of the community, yet was mercilessly killed during the process. Throughout the film are copious amounts of flashbacks, enabling us to witness this and Weisz carries us through each scene intently; conveying raw ability to stun us with her emotional range and captivate our hearts as she does all in her power to prevent the rapid development of the drug test scandal. Weisz conveys Tessa's determination and overpowering good heart in ways no other actress could - she has stated herself that the role was extremely important to her, and she had to fight to get it, showing references to that which is displayed on our screens; a strong-willed woman going above and beyond.
Kathryn Bolkovak in Larysa Kondracki's The Whistleblower is another film where Weisz adheres to this preference. She plays the role of Kathryn, otherwise referred to as Kathy, who is a police officer sent to work as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. After discovering a sex trafficking scandal, and members of the local police and international members of the US alongside diplomats who engage amongst and also the workings of such a scheme, she goes out of her way to try and put a stop to it all. In turn, she puts herself at exuberate amounts of risk and loses her job, yet through trial and determination manages to unveil the scandal whilst back in London. As the focal character, Rachel shows exemplary acting skills of both emotional depth and fueled charisma, which instigate a hopeful response for us, leading us to the constant hope that she succeeds in her task.
Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Legacy demonstrates this reoccurring theme in yet another respect and is merely another example of heroism in light of a flawed society. Weisz plays the role of Dr. Marta Shearing, a geneticist who survives a homicide killing on behalf of a colleague by the skin of her teeth. From then on, she becomes one of America’s ‘Most Wanted’ and embarks on an intensely dangerous mission with Aaron Cross, who saved her life, in order to save his. Against all odds, she represents a regular woman who is thrown into a life style that she is not accustomed to through no choice of her own; consisting of generous amounts of running, risk-taking, adrenaline-rushing and reckless bravery in order to stay alive. Weisz displays genuine fear and vulnerability in a manner that allows us to relate to her role and identify how she really is just an ordinary human being forced into an emotionally and physically testing situation. Both she and Aaron are physically unable to live without the other, and the portrayal of how her life goes from one extremity to the other merely reinforces this idea further.
An ordinary woman pursuing a seemingly impossible task; could this be a pattern developing? A pattern that is carried out remarkably by this talented woman, might I add. A pattern that I have every faith has yet to be conveyed in films to come, and may we embrace it.
