Paul Schrader is raving about Andrea Riseborough’s incredible work in the underseen indie gem “To Leslie.” As he should be. I hadn’t even realized that it was released a month ago. That’s how under-the-radar this small film has been.
Riseborough is maybe the most criminally underrated actress working today in American film. When I saw “To Leslie,” as part of my SXSW coverage back in March, I for sure thought that it would become some kind of career breakthrough for her. Sadly, the film has come and gone without much attention. That seems to be a given now with every Riseborough film. Why? She deserves better than this.
I had seen around a dozen films from this year’s Austin-based festival. None particularly stood out. The one competition title many seemed to rave about was “To Leslie,” an alcoholism drama that Riseborough absolutely elevated with raw feeling.
Based on a viral true story, Leslie actually won $169,000 in the lottery before irresponsibly wasting it all on expenses and addictions. Michael Morris’ drama seeks deep emotions and gets them thanks to the UK-born Riseborough and her ticking time-bomb of a performance, especially in the film’s stronger first half. There’s such passionate delivery in her work here, a sort of humanity that seeps through and makes Leslie feel like a fully lived-in character. This one comes straight from a very visceral, but vulnerable place in Riseborough’s psyche.
Known for her strong turns in “Nancy,” “Mandy” and “Possessor,” Riseborough will eventually get her due. It’s damn-near inevitable given the amount of talent she constantly displays on-screen. Her performance in “To Leslie” is one of the very best of the year.