For many reasons, a handful of some great movie performances can go unnoticed. Often, this is simply because actors might do their best work in movies that aren’t widely seen, but it can also be because it’s difficult to draw attention away from bigger stars in the cast.

Every year, there are exceptional movie performances that don’t get the recognition that they deserve. While some of these might be rediscovered depending on the actor’s career or a critical reevaluation, most of them are soon forgotten about. This is unfortunate, but it also means that these surprises can be revelatory surprises when they’re discovered.

Yalitza Aparicio – Roma (2018)

Performances in international movies don’t always get the attention that they deserve from English-speaking audiences, because the nuances of the delivery can be lost in translation. There are some performances that are impossible to ignore though, like Yalitza Aparicio in Roma.

Roma is one of Alfonso Cuarón’s best movies, taking inspiration from his own childhood to create a vibrant portrait of life. Aparicio’s role can’t be understated, and she has the power to highlight the quiet tragedy struggling beneath the surface of her seemingly comfortable routine.

Bill Murray – The Life Aquatic (2004)

Bill Murray has appeared in more of Wes Anderson’s movies than any other actor. His style of ᴅᴇᴀᴅpan humor is perfectly suited to Anderson’s quirky dialogue, but he also has the emotive power to sell Anderson’s disarming dramatic turns. He shines in Rushmore and Moonrise Kingdom, but his best performance doesn’t get talked about too often.

The Life Aquatic is one of Anderson’s less popular movies, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Murray draws on the same tenderness that he has in Groundhog Day and Lost in Translation. As always, he manages to balance this with some hilarious comedy.

John Cusack – Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

Bullets Over Broadway is one of the funniest comedies of the 1990s, even though it hasn’t maintained its popularity over the years. John Cusack’s performance is a huge positive, as he plays a frantic writer under immense stress to make his first Broadway play a success while dealing with the mob.

Cusack is a hilarious comedic fool in Bullets Over Broadway, bringing a similarly anxious energy to Being John Malkovich. He also understands the complex emotional depth of the character, whose quest for critical approval is rooted in his own deep-seated insecurities as an artist and a person.

Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Jojo Rabbit is most famous for Taika Waiтιтi’s farcical portrayal of a child-minded Adolf Hitler, but Scarlett Johansson shouldn’t be overlooked. She’s part of a great ensemble cast that brings real heart to the story while Waiтιтi is in full clowning mode. She plays Jojo’s mother, who tries to raise her naive child in the tumult of Nazi Germany.

Jojo Rabbit‘s story is seen through a child’s eyes, so Johansson’s charming performance is perfectly measured. Rosie has a mysterious solemnity that Jojo doesn’t understand, since he much prefers when the two of them can dance and have fun together. Johansson shows flashes of Rosie’s double life as she tries to shelter her son from the horrific reality around him.

Jesse Eisenberg – The Double (2013)

It’s always interesting to see an actor playing multiple characters in one movie, although this technique is often reserved for comedy, like Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove and Eddie Murphy in Coming to America. Jesse Eisenberg’s performance in The Double is an example of a dual role that works on multiple levels.

Although there are elements of dark comedy in The Double, it’s also a compelling character study of a timid man who sees his life slowly being usurped by his more confident and smooth doppelgänger. Eisenberg’s two distinct characters are both fully realized, and the way they overlap and complement one another is fascinating.

Adam Driver – The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)

Between his mainstream successes, Adam Driver has appeared in plenty of interesting, lesser-known movies, building a career that marks him as one of his generation’s best actors. Not all of his performances get enough attention, like his role in Terry Gilliam’s surreal comedy The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote stars Driver as a filmmaker who discovers that the star of one of his old movies has never broken character. Driver gives a hilarious display of being bemused to the point of being angry, but the film requires him to access more dramatic depth as the third act takes a twist toward the bizarre.

Vicky Krieps – Phantom Thread (2017)

It’s often hard to focus on any other actor in one of Daniel Day-Lewis’ movies, since his performances can be so fascinating and authentic that they naturally draw the eye. One actor who manages to stand out opposite Day-Lewis is Vicky Krieps, who plays Alma in Phantom Thread.

Alma is first introduced in Phantom Thread as something of an enigma. Reynolds Woodcock is drawn to her beauty without knowing too much about what lies beneath the surface, and the process of seeing her slowly discover and reveal her true colors is fascinating, thanks in large part to Krieps’ performance.

Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods features several great performances, including Chadwick Boseman in his final film appearance. Delroy Lindo leads the ensemble cast, and his performance provides the emotional anchor for an unusual war story that spans two distinct time periods.

Da 5 Bloods has been forgotten too soon, but it’s a richly rewarding examination of the war genre. Lindo’s performance echoes some other war movies, but it also highlights the originality of the film’s premise and perspective. Ultimately, Da 5 Bloods rejects the notion of heroes and villains in war.

Shirley MacLaine – The Children’s Hour (1961)

Movies like Gambit and The Apartment prove that Shirley MacLaine was one of the best actors of her generation, but The Children’s Hour shows a different side to her talents. Devoid of the comedy that elevates many of her best movies, The Children’s Hour is a harrowing melodrama.

Audrey Hepburn also delivers a compelling performance in The Children’s Hour, but MacLaine is utterly magnetic as a school teacher accused of having a same-Sєx relationship. Although some specifics of the plot now seem dated, the broad strokes are sadly all too relevant. MacLaine’s raw emotionality still rings true.

Jamie Lee Curtis – A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

A Fish Called Wanda has a brilliant cast of comedy greats. Monty Python members John Cleese and Michael Palin star alongside Kevin Kline, but Jamie Lee Curtis gets just as many laughs as any of these heavy-hitters, and she’s also vital in balancing the movie’s more emotional elements.

A Fish Called Wanda is one of Curtis’ best movies. In the context of the movie’s culture-clash comedy, her character represents the unashamed Sєxuality and directness of an American that the British characters struggle to deal with. She strikes up a wonderful dynamic with Cleese, as the unlikely duo bring the best out of one another.