"It's sad to watch people cry, but it's far sadder to watch people try not to cry." Biggest lesson I've learned as an actor

Florence Pugh’s micro facial expressions are truly something to behold. Face acting at its finest. She doesn’t even have to say a word and you know exactly how she’s feeling. It’s incredibly powerful.

this is why i love the quiet romantic moments of period dramas. The very subtle facial expressions during a proclamation of love is just everything

Florence Pugh is absolutely among the greats with her performances so far in her career. Such a talented person.

When I was younger, I tried to do this kind of thing because I wanted to portray realistic emotion. Then I realized, I'm doing a school musical, no one is gonna even be able to see this kind of subtlety. It's great that film lets us explore quieter moments.

There's a Brazilian movie critic that once said that Florence Pugh is someone that knows herself so well, has such a strong confidence of who she is, that it allows herself to become empty and leave enough space so the character can easily take control, there's no conflict between the real Florence and her roles, you can see when shes fully transformed into another person, she gives everything and i completely agree with that

This was one of the things that made Arcane so great. The animators nailed the subtle performances of all the characters in a way i've never seen in animation before. The quiet scenes stood out just as much as the big action scenes.

i love it when big plot twists are foreshadowed not just by logic and reasonings but by those tiny little 'huh' feelings of very subtle acting

Olivia Colman's character in Fleabag is one of my favourite examples of this kind of acting. She rarely raises her voice. She doesn't need to. Every line, every snarky comment she makes has such venom to it. Certain ways of on-screen communication can only be done in this subtle way. The evil stepmother's judgmental comments hit so much harder because of the subtlety that Colman achieves. Amazing performance

An acting teacher I had years ago, had an exercise where you would literally walk onto the stage, sit on a bench, and do nothing. He said it was the most difficult acting exercise he knew. And he's onto something: it's much more difficult to "not perform" than it is to put on a big show.

Just a tiny add, I wanted to point out this can be done in voice acting as well. I've revisited the Spiderverse movie a few times lately, in hype for the sequel, and something that gets me everytime is Miles' dad trying to tell him about his uncle, you can feel so much of him cracking from below the facade, it's beautiful

that's why fleabag is my favorite show. its a quiet look into someone's unraveling, little things in actions and looks and interactions tell a whole story. it's so real and soooo incredible.

I cannot get over Florence Pugh's range. She's so believable and good portraying grief in Midsommar, but ... also amazing in her comedic scenes as Yelena Belova in Black Widow and Hawkeye. SUCHH a talent!

Realistically portraying "feeling an emotion while pretending not to" has always been the kind of acting that most impresses me, and is way more effective on me than outbursts of emotion, so I'm happy you made this video showing it some love!

I think it should be said that Adam Driver belongs in that “subtle” group for “Marriage Story”. The nuance and subtleties of his performance in that film are what make it one of the all time greats. Not the yelling and crying scene; that’s what can be so easily misinterpreted. What’s the achievement is everything he does in the lead up to it. How he somehow made a scene as operatic as that somehow feel earned and organic for his character. Nothing in the editing room can create that. Only a masterful actor crafting a layered, authentic performance.

An emotional scene where the character's trying NOT to cry and failing will always get me more than a character just freely letting out their emotions. It's just such a human thing to do. One of my favorite portrayals of this is David Tenant playing Crowley in the end of Good omens season 2, when he tries to go through with a love confession even after the plan for it has completely fallen apart in the worst way possible. There's this moment when his voice breaks and he immediately makes this really irritated humming noise, like he's not not only failing to keep his composure but angry at himself for it. That is SO fucking relatable, there is literally nothing more embarrassing and rage inducing then crying in front of someone when you _really_ don't want to

My favorite scene in Midsommar is when she's tripping and having a decent time, and the word "family" immediately brings her out of that bliss and into a nosedive bad trip. The acting was so incredible

The hardest and most impressive part about micro expression is not only knowing when to do it, but being able to avoid doing it. You have to be completely comfortable and in the moment, to avoid awkwardness and to not make it seem like you're trying to do it. Body language, posture, facial expressions, we all do them subconsciously. Being able to control them and time them is incredibly difficult, let alone in front of an entire camera crew

i'm so glad you brought up Daniel Kaluuya because he was one of the first actors that came to mind for me lol. he's INCREDIBLE at subtle performances, obviously showcased fully in Get Out and Nope. and it's painful to see some people call his acting in those movies "boring" because they expect big emotive expressions of terror in a horror movie and they're completely missing all of the depth that he's giving us in a quieter package.

I loved Yeun's performance in burning. We are introduced to Ben as this charismatic and handsome guy, who irl would be generally well liked. Although at first we can tell that Jong-Su disliking him is because he sees him as a romantic rival, who he believes has a much better chance with Hae-mi than him, as the movie progresses Ben starts to slowly allow Jong-Su to look behind his mask and it turns into a completely different dislike. As the movie moves forward Ben becomes a very sinister and actually kind of terrifying person in the eyes of the viewer while within the fiction he maintains the front of being "good". We can also see a sort of fascination from Ben towards Jong-Su who even though being complicit to Ben's true nature has chosen to continuously remain a silent bystander. Ben is constantly poking Jong-Su to see if he will ever do something aka Jong-Su has become his new favourite toy.

Steven Yuen continues to be a vastly underrated actor. I see him access certain roles, but he seriously does not get enough performance opportunities from what I can tell. Hollywood is sleeping on him (except for you Mister Peele, bless). Riz Ahmed is another. Every role is a piercing performance.

Emma Thompson is another great master of this particular skill. I've seen Love Actually a million times, and the part where she's opening the Christmas gift from her husband just breaks my heart. The way she tries to conceal the heartbreak in front of her children, and the cut to the scene of her standing alone in the bedroom rubbing her wrist (a lot of us absentmindedly do little physical things like this when we're trying not to hysterically cry) and fluffing the blanket on the bed...it's just so real.

I call this Gandalfing, after the poignant reaction of Ian McKellan's Gandalf in response to Frodo declaring that he'll take the ring; his face paints a complex picture of relief, sadness, admiration, concern, and so much more, and I always think of that incredible wordless performance when I witness other such subtle but powerful perfomances.

I watched Midsommar and was entranced with how good Florence Pugh's performance was. That film has so many long shots and she nails it every time

The first micro facial expression I noticed was from Mads Mikkelsen in his Hannibal role. The way he always seems so poker-faced but you can just feel what kind of emotion he's actually conveying was amazing for me.

The more I watch Midsommar, the more I think Pugh put on one of the best performances I have ever seen on film. The layers of emotion that she presents on her face is nothing short of amazing. Her ability to subtly show her trauma on her face while trying to hide it with a smile, or changing the subject felt like she wasn’t acting, but just tapping into something far deeper. Thanks for this video. You’ve articulated everything so well.

Rhea Seehorn's performance as Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul is a great example of this. She always manages to make her silence and stillness speak VOLUMES.

I love that: "Most acting, not best acting." You articulate so much I've never been able to communicate. This video was incredibly well written. Bravo. :)

Daniel Kaluuya's recent performance in Nope I think fits this bill to a tee. He has zero moments of "ACTING!" in that film and yet you know exactly what he's thinking and feeling at all times. His facial acting and what he does with looks is miles ahead of a lot of actors loudest performances. I think he's a generational talent, and while he can have bigger performances that still blow everyone else out of the water (Judas & the Black Messiah), I think his quieter performances take the cake for me in terms of ability. Edit: Typed this out before you got around to mentioning Kaluuya in the video. Great minds.

I think Daniel Kaluuya’s performance in Nope is a masterclass in subtle acting. So many people didn’t get his performance and that he wasn’t just some boring character. He’s so expressive in his eyes! And that’s honestly what denotes a genuine performance, the eyes.

And in fact you rarely see people in real life having a melt down. Most people keep their real feelings hidden

I like watching those actors who act “behind their eyes”. There is stuff going on in their minds. You can see it in their eyes.

it makes me almost jealous as a writer, that i come up with all of these ways to let the dialogue speak for what’s going on and these actors can just..show it. perfectly and without explanation

Florence Pughs performance in Midsommar is one of the best I've ever seen. I could really feel everything the character was feeling and it made for a powerful, uncomfortable but worthwhile experience

This is one of the reasons I love Good Will Hunting. Lots of really close-up shots of the actors' faces so you can see subtle facial expressions.

You said 'range' and I immediately thought of Tom Hiddleston, but when you reframed the word to mean 'range in intensity' I think Tom does an even more fabulous job. He's an underrated actor, one of the finest of this generation.

I think this is why I fell in love with Pattinson's Batman. He barely says anything, barely allows an emotion to be free, yet you can _feel_ with him anyway. His eyes were so entrancing.

Daniel Kaluuya is so damned good at this kind of performance. Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah, Nope, man's a legend.

As someone who’s been acting for over half my life now, there’s two things I’ve learned that have really stuck with me. It’s different for every person, but these were my personal discoveries. 1. The type of immersion you describe here is so crucial, yet so hard to achieve - and it’s not something that can happen consciously. It can take months to begin to develop a character’s voice, posture, general behavior, memories, etc. Eventually, it becomes second nature, but you have to work for it. Sometimes that can mean method acting, sometimes it can mean buying a raw chicken breast, putting it in your shower, turning the water on, turning the lights off, and then entering your apartment and stabbing it through the curtain. (That’s not something _I_ have done, but I know someone who has.) But anyway, once you get to the point where you genuinely feel everything the character does, you can achieve both those subtle expressions and also the breakdowns and outbursts. They should come from the same place. 2. Anyone can mimic someone else’s performance, and anyone can just put on a mask and play the role. But if you’ve been cast as a role, it’s because there’s something that only _you_ can bring to the character. You can visualize it by imagining that there are hundreds of dials, each for a different trait that you have. Becoming a character means adjusting those dials, finding the things you need within you, not conjuring out of thin air. Intensify the extroversion a little, amplify the neuroticism, tone down the cynicism, play up the nerdiness. Don’t try to make yourself into the character, make the character into you.

Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers was incredible…he was so subtle in his expression of grief and trauma. Watching his refrain in certain scenes with his parents absolutely broke my heart.

Fleabag is a great example of what you're talking about. Not just PWB, but I think everyone in that show exhibits such subtle acting skill. The screenplay demanded it as well.

I love Mads Mikkelsen because his acting is so subtle and he uses a lot of micro expressions.

For someone who grew up watching Asian tv & movies, Subtle Performance is in fact one of the greatest acting an actor will be credited on. Given how most Asian production are really heavy on emotions. That is why when I transitioned to watching Western production at a later age, I always find it so different; louder body language, more flamboyant, bigger set, etc. Steven Yuen always give me such comfort. Best of both worlds.

I feel the same way about musical performances, such as singing. Whenever you see a “best singing” compilation, it’s all people belting at the top of their longs, doing over the top riffs, and whistle notes. All of these take talent, yes, but there’s so much complexity and emotion that people can put into singing. When a voice sounds like it could fall apart at any moment but it never does, when just the tone of a voice tells a story without needing the lyrics, singing is so much more than belting, riffs, and whistle tones.

Saoirse Ronan is also great in doing micro expression. Her act in Hozier's music video is amazing, it was really short, she was mainly sitting in front of a mirror and didn't say anything yet you could catch what happened and what she's feeling

Nobody mentioning Jodie Comer? She's just so good with micro facial expressions and how she can say everything with her eyes too. You can see it either on Killing Eve with Villanelle or in The Last Duel with Marguerite de Carrouges. Well, I must say in every role she has done certainly nails the subtle expressions. She's so complete and versatile actress. Which it's crazy how underrated she is.

That's why i love Tony Leung.. His expressions are high level.. So subtle, but we felt it. His silent still can make me cry

Richard Madden as Lieutenant Blake in the movie 1917 is a prime example of, "there's no such thing as small parts..." He goes through a range of very real emotions all in the span of two minutes; from joy to grief to a soldier's restraint . As humans, we are so complex, and his portrayal of these emotions is so moving. I cry every time I watch that scene.

So glad you talked about Riz Ahmed in Sound of Metal. The subdued desperation, frustration, shame, and sense of loss he portrays (often all at once) is absolutely crushing. Paired with the subtlety of Paul Raci, they performed one of the most heart-breaking scenes I have ever seen.

Riz Ahmed is one of the greatest actors of his generation. He is so good at the big acting as well as the subtle acting, and he has this really calm and complex demeanor to him, it's not just facial expressions, but also body language. He reminds me a lot of a young Robert De Niro or Dustin Hoffman. He's in a whole other league compared to 99.9% of today's actors.

The subtle emotions and „face acting“ is one of the reasons Heartstopper works as a show.

I love this video. And I personally think that Joaquin Phoenix and Leo DiCaprio got their Oscars because of what they did for the role, and not necessarily because of their performances. And Rami Malek got his because it was a biopic (and since then, many actors have been getting biopic flack for their performances bc Rami won). You showed Heath in The Dark Knight, and I think that he truly gave one of the best performances ever, even though it wasn't a subtle performance. And I also think he gave one of the best performances of all time in Brokeback Mountain, which was an incredibly subtle performance.

Florence Pugh is so good in Midsommar it makes me feel anxious and sick feeling her despair. She conveys all the emotions you would expect from severe trauma perfectly

I know Breaking Bad has been analyzed to death, but the subtle performances from each actor is really mesmerizing. Especially Walt, of course. He had outbursts, but also small moments too.

If you want to talk about subtle performances, you have to talk about Thomasin McKenzie. Her acting in Leave No Trace, Jojo Rabbit, Life After Life and The Justice of Bunny King especially is truly impressive. She acts so naturally and can tell so much about her character, even in smaller roles and with only a few lines. My favorite performances are those that make me forget almost completely that what I am watching is staged. And the small details, be it facial expressions or body language, are what you know and understand automatically and almost subconsciously.

I don't know why the algorithm took me here but I really enjoyed this content. Acting is one of my biggest interests and I'm so glad you highlighted something I've always relished in. This subtle performance that you describe is what I call the moment when and where the actor disappears and the character becomes alive. There is the method acting which I feel is more calculated and the performance satisfies the eyes and brains of the viewers but there is also this natural involuntary acting which speaks to the heart. It may appear clumsy, diluted or subtle like the examples here, but it delivers a huge story and feeling and shapes the role into a real-life human that I am watching.

For me, Moonlight is one of the best examples for this kind of subtlety in acting performances. The whole point of the movie is Chiron constantly containing his emotions and his true self.

I’m surprised no one is bringing up Homelander from The Boys. He totally nails subtle acting. You never know what he’s gonna do and his performance constantly leaves you on edge!

I agree with you completely! Growing up I've been exposed to media wherein the more you can cry the better actor you are. But it's a whole other ballgame to be able to showcase these nuances and nail those subtle actions and reactions and that's what I appreciate the most! I can't explain things very well but you laid it all out so perfectly, so I love your video! Kudos, will be watching more :D

This is why I love 'No Country For Old Men'. It's full of these performances. It's impossible not to become immersed in the story due to the amazing acting, writing, and direction. Incredible film.

Emma Thompson's character in "Love, Actually" opening her present from her husband and realising he was cheating on her, and the following two minutes, is some of the best acting committed to film.

Steven Yeun's performance in Minari during the scene when his wife asked for a divorce had me uncontrollably sobbing because he was trying to hold his own sadness in - it was like I was feeling everything he couldn't express.

I really love how soft, smooth and slow your voice is, it’s so much easier to understand than the usual video format 💗

The fact that you are able to see into these things and bring them forth into words certainly conveys your own brilliance, Mr Thomas!!

Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. There was so much boiling under the surface of that character that was constrained by the society he lived in. An amazing, subtle performance from Ledger that should've won him his first Oscar.

Victoria Pedretti is pretty phenomenal with the subtle hard hitting emotions in her performances. especially in the haunting of hill house

This dude gets it. When I watch a movie I really want to watch, I do it alone because I am constantly looking for that subtlety, those micro-expressions. I will run back a scene, a moment, over and over again to relish in the actor's adeptness. I live for that stuff, truly! Thank you for making this video!

I love love love when a video essay makes clear they in no way mean to praise one to lower another. Thank you, for the content as well as the context.

Dude. I am SO glad you talked about Steven Yeun's performance in Burning. When I first saw the title of your video, I immediately thought to myself, "Steven's performance in Burning would be a fantastic example of that," and then you opened with it as the first example! I've watched thousands of performances at this point in my life, but Yeun's portrayal of Ben is the best I've seen to date. That whole movie in general is a masterclass in subtlety. There's so much going on yet it's all so quiet and fleeting. I could analyze Burning for hours.

It truly bums me out that so many people see “good” acting as something heavily emotional and super performative. As someone who loves writing/directing, seeing actors place themselves in a role to the point where minor actions speaks volumes is so fucking underrated. Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are some of my favourite shows purely because of pacing but the performances the actors bring to their roles is unparalleled. You can tell so much about what a character is thinking based on subtle looks and small face actions and, while I think the writing in those shows are great, the actors are what brings those characters to life. Nerdwriter’s video on Anthony Hopkins’ performance in Westworld is why I love acting. The rhythm of line delivery, the way actors can say so much by doing so little; hell, the way actors can tell the audience one thing and tell the _characters_ another is so fucking rad. It’s such an impressive art that has SO MUCH subtlety. I’d also recommend Drew Gooden’s video on good acting; it’s a little more silly but also a fun watch.

As an actor, this was such a fantastic video to watch. "I don't want to watch you go through it, I want to watch you get through it and fight against it," is advice that I cling to, meaning that while big emotions may be fun, they're often not what we do. That clip of Amy Adams trying not to cry is a perfect example.

This subtle acting just shows how great actors are in digesting the script and picturing the emotions that go along the scene to be able to execute them very convincingly.

Everything about Rhea Seahorn's performance of Kim Wexler is so emblematic of what you talk about here. I find it rly interesting the way she describes her process, about feeling all the emotions of her character physically in different parts of the body, and then actively fighting against those emotions to bring them out naturally in a roundabout way. Feels connected to what you were talking about with Rooney Mara and the involuntary neck twitch

there's no actor more subtle than Mads Mikkelsen, the guy can convey 300 emotions with just a single eye twitch

I think this is really needed in animated movies as well. I love the subtlety in the father's sadness in Tangled before they fly the 17th lantern, there's so much in the look he and the mother share. Thinking that the lanterns are useless. Having to be king and queen when all they want to be doing is joining the search for their lost daughter. Wondering whether she's even still alive.

Finally! An intelligent, respectful critique. I love actors. They are my favorite artists. Your observation that awards are often given to “most “ acting instead of best is perfect.

Subtle performances are just overall stunning to look at. It takes a certain level of skill to be able to execute it seamlessly. Not all actors have the capacity to master the art of subtlety.

This exact reason is a huge part of why David Tennant's Doctor was so popular. He was his character, and everything that he felt you could see in his face. Every bit of excitement, grief, rage, awe, sarcasm, sadness, contentment showed up in expressions and transferred straight to the audience. Truly amazing acting.

This stuff is the best. You said it, I love the big bursts of emotion too, but gosh I love just hanging on someone and you can tell they're feeling a lot with only the subtlety and the tiny changes from how they might normally act to indicate that something is amiss.

I think the cast of Succession is great at subtle acting and representing repressed emotions. Especially on Shiv, Tom and Kendall.

Daniel Kaluuya is immediately who came to mind when I saw the topic of this video. Him and Pugh are amazing at this. When he is trying to hold on emotionally while remembering his mother in Get Out tears me up every time.

I couldn’t be more happy when you highlighted Florence. Her performance was so scary good. Her begrudging disgust and hurt was translated so well and it was so raw and authentic. My favorite movie and performance.

Subbed, I love the discrepancy between the AMOUNT of quality takes in your videos and the calmness of your voice. This video helped me realize that, ironically

Every single person shown in the video nailed those subtle expressions and I know many are commenting about Florence pugh but the way she said that 'oh' sent chiils through me, total goosebumps.

Tony Leung in In the Mood for Love is one of the best performances I have ever seen. He speaks a lot without saying more, and he does this through masterful, subtle acting. I highly recommend his other films as well.

To Adam Driver's credit, he did a lot of subtle acting in Marriage Story. The scene where he asks Alan Alda's character whether he's paying to hear his joke is really good. We all remember the explosive scene but there was fantastic subtlety by Adam AND Scarlett leading up to it.

As a stage actor who occasionally does film work, the difference is night and day. A stage actor should be going full kylo ren. The audience can't see every twitch of your face, every subtlety of your performance. A small choice is a wrong choice. Pretty much every director I've ever worked with has, at some point in the process said "I'd rather you go too big and I have to pull you back in than you go too small and I have to tell you to go bigger" On the other hand, film is a very different story. It's far more personal, closer up, and more important to include subtlety. You don't need to be loud to reach the back of the audience. You don't need to have big facial expressions so that your face doesn't look the same the entire time to half the audience. You just need to act like a person would.

I love seeing this on screen! As someone who works on a psych unit, it's the little cues that are really telling of how someone is thinking/feeling.

Florence's performance in Midsommar is so raw and real. It's the subtle ways in which she reacts without uttering a word and how the people around her either don't acknowledge or notice it. We all know exactly what she's feeling and what she's thinking in those moments though. The performance is brilliant.

I recently rewatched 'Knives Out' and found myself really rediscovering how much I enjoyed LaKeith Lee Stanfield's performance as one of the accessory detectives. He knows how to play this sort of quiet, intense intelligence that is intriguing in even the shortest of scenes, and I feel like it embodies a lot of what this video discussed.

Wow you are really good. Most people feel these scenes but have no clue why they do. You are able to catch exactly what it is thats causing that subconscious reaction. Well done.

I got ta say Jonathan Banks playing Mike Ehrmantraut in BCS is my all-time favorite for his subtle performance. He's just so mysterious and profound. The way he achieves that not by yelling or crying earned him so many close-ups throughout the series.

Anthony Hopkins is a prime example of subtle acting. His portrayal of Hannibal Lector is so errie because of his robotic like gestures, his ominous glare, and his calm yet intelligent manner of speaking. He never had any emotional outbursts or tried to make a creepy face. They made it a point in the film to relay to the viewer that even while he attacked a nurse, his heart rate stayed low. He simply fumed with tension just by standing and staring a certain way.

Pretty different medium, but this is a big reason why I absolutely love Studio Ghibli's animation and in particular Miyazaki's direction. They've managed to portray these microexpressions on *animated* character's faces! These fictional, 2-dimensional illusions end up feeling like they're portraying someone more alive to me than many real actors do. Someone with a complex inner world, conflicting thoughts and emotions, hopes, dreams, all internally and showing only in the barest traces of facial expressions. Like I think maybe my favorite seen of any movie ever is the scene in Howl's Moving Castle where Howl checks on Sophie sleeping and sees that she's not actually an old woman, she's the young and timid girl he helped in the alley. This scene shows that the curse is mainly based on how Sophie sees herself, and that when she's not aware of her appearance she reverts to her original body. It also implies that Howl is a person she now feels safe with, that she found his castle somewhat accidentally but took a brave step in trusting him because on some level she knows they can help each other. Meanwhile, Howl's face on first glance looks frozen as he gazes at her, but he goes through, like, at least half a dozen different emotions as he processes what he sees and what this all means (shock, confusion, recognition, comprehension, tenderness, uncertainty in himself, the beginnings of resolve). That scene is like 5 seconds long and it communicates so much subtext that I nerd out about it every time aaahhhhh!!!

Probably my favourite example of subtle performance is a scene in _Memento._ (spoilers ahoy!) The scene where Sammy Jankis's wife tries to snap him out of his short-term memory loss (which doctors have claimed is purely psychogenic) by tricking him into giving her her insulin shot over and over, in 15-minute intervals. If nothing else, she knows for _sure_ that he loves her. And she also believes - needs to believe - that he can snap out of his condition with the right motivation. So how could this test not work? After he gives second injection, and is getting up to walk out of frame and return to his seat, leaving her alone in the frame, there's a look on her face that's completely burned in my memory. She can't believe this is actually happening. She can't believe this didn't work. She knew he loved her, and she "knew" he could snap out of his condition. Now she's being forced to confront that one of those things is false, and it's like she can't decide which one because she doesn't know which would be worse. This was the ultimate test, a test where failing would cost her life, and he still failed. She looks dumbfounded and confused and heartbroken and bitterly disappointed and utterly alone. I can't do it justice in writing (you should just watch it), but if I'd been the director I would have been fist-pumping after I watched that take. It's an incredibly subtle expression, but it says _so much._ Frankly, the entire scene is full of great subtle acting. When she requests an injection for the third or fourth time, her voice goes a bit hoarse as she says "It's time for my shot", like she's trying not to cry. And it's obvious to us but it's subtle enough that you can believe even her husband would miss it if he lacked context. It's really, really good.

Weirdly, Robert Pattinson's performance in The Batman fits this criteria for me. There are times when you know exactly what his Batman is thinking even when he's behind the mask. A moment I always think of is during the bomb scene when Riddler says he's going to 'unmask' the city's corruption, and the way in which Batman says 'unmask?' in that quiet, distinctly nervous way tells you so much about his fear of his own identity being revealed. The way he uses his voice, the little looks he gives, his body language etc. are also subtle but again tell you so much. Side note, Burning's a great film, one of the few Murakami adaptations that works

Carey Mulligan in Maestro. Her micro expressions throughout the entire film were INCREDIBLE.

As a person that watches everything with subtitles (except for UKposts videos, funny enough), this is super interesting and very informative. Great stuff! I was thinking about Nolan and then you brought him up and explained it. Never thought of what it means to turn Dolby Atmos sound, into what my phone or TV, with little computer speakers attached for a boost in quality, produces.

First thing I thought of was the end scene of La La Land, where Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling make eye contact at the very end from across the room. Their expressions are so subtle, but speak volumes of love, loss, regret, acceptance, and “best wishes” all rolled into one. Brilliant.

In Manchester by the Sea, Casey Affleck plays a depressed/grief-stricken character with such realism and sublety. There is only one scene in the entire movie where he cries.