By modern standards, Sandra Bullock’s award-winning film, The Blind Side, may not be as charming as we remember. The 2009 film is, at worst, a white savior trope that has come under fire recently for inaccurate storytelling. According to ESPN, Michael Oher’s path to the NFL has been embroiled in controversy with claims that his alleged adoptive family never formally adopted him and used their position to become his legal conservators to make money off him.
Though these facts give the film an unfortunate gleam in retrospect, the fact remains that Bullock won an Oscar for her portrayal of Oher’s mother figure, Leigh Anne Tuohy, who is depicted in the film as rescuing a homeless teen from his circumstances. Before her acclaimed performance, Bullock had made a name for herself in her best films like the comedic Miss Congeniality and the classic action film, Speed. Winning an Academy Award was an impressive step in the actor’s career and would not be her last shot at the prestigious award. In 2013, Bullock received her only other Oscar nomination for the Alfonso Cuarón film, Gravity. Though she lost out on the win, the immersive space film swept that year because of its content.
Gravity was far more deserving of acclaim
True to the visionary films of Cuarón’s filmography, Gravity is your worst nightmare come to life. The director was the creative mind between Children of Men, the dystopian CIive Owen vehicle that famously opens with a suspenseful single take. Because of this, Gravity was surrounded by hype during Oscar season.
Bullock stars as Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer who goes on her first mission to space. The routine mission goes horribly wrong when debris impacts her shuttle and sends her spinning untethered into space. This situation is certainly not something anyone would want to experience, but almost everyone went and saw the film, which attracted many Oscar nominations that year. Space has always been a popular film setting, but Gravity goes the extra mile. Taking place almost exclusively in the terrifying vacuum of space, Bullock felt the pressure of the role she was undertaking.
At the TIFF, Los Angeles Times reported the actor confessing what an isolating experience making the film was. Shooting her scenes required Bullock to be by herself with only cameras for companionship, which resulted in what she described as “frustrating, painful isolation.” This was perhaps exactly what The Blind Side actor needed to get to the emotional depths of her character, which were far more rigorous than appearing in the football film a few years prior. Bullock did not win her nomination for Best Actress, but that has no bearing on her performance. She may have lost to Jennifer Lawrence, but Gravity will still be remembered for its impressive feats.