VIOLA DAVIS “MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM”
Key scene: Ma Rainey (Davis) goes through a rainbow of emotions while declaring that the white people around her treat her like an old whore.
What’s so special: “She starts out as a woman used to being in charge, then the jealousy erupts and it becomes rage and hurt,” says director George C. Wolfe. “Then it turns into loveliness and wonder and depth of caring. You’re seeing this kaleidoscope of who Ma Rainey is, and it’s startling and deeply moving. You’re inside the anger and fragility.”