When the creatives and films up for gongs at the Oscars 2026 were announced back in January, Sally Hawkins should've become a three-time Academy Award nominee. I knew it was unlikely, of course, given that she hadn't been recognized at previous award events like the Golden Globes or the SAGs – but that doesn't mean the omission didn't sting.
Her performance in Danny and Michael Philippou's Bring Her Back is one that has stuck with me since I first saw the movie almost a year ago. She plays the villain, essentially, though it seems a little reductive to dub her as such – with the directors flipping the script on Hawkins' trademark dottiness and charm to chilling, devastating effect. The film itself follows Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong), two step-siblings who are thrust into foster care following the sudden death of their father. When the social worker suggests separate placements, Billy insists he's got to stick with Piper, since she struggles to adjust to new places given her visual impairment. With that, they're sent to stay with Hawkins' Laura, who's already looking after another kid, mute Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), and is navigating the death of her young daughter Kathy, too.
