A trophy isn’t everything.

While these performances haven’t garnered the kind of attention they deserve this awards season, they are all memorable, essential contributors to 2024’s strong movie slate.

Adria Arjona, 'Hit Man'

While it’s certainly possible Glen Powell creates chemistry with every scene partner, Arjona’s tricky, magnetic turn in Richard Linklater’s supremely entertaining “Hit Man” is the force that believably disrupts the film’s status quo through multiple twists.

Maisy Della, 'My Old Ass'

The central performance of this sweet (albeit poorly titled) coming-of-age comedy requires the added challenge of portraying a younger version of Aubrey Plaza. Della is so compelling in the role that it’s Plaza who appears to be evoking Della’s youthful spark rather than the other way around. No small feat.

Justice Smith, 'I Saw the TV Glow'

More to say on “I Saw the TV Glow” next week in my Favorite Movies of 2024 article. For now, know that Smith’s achingly relatable portrayal of anxiety and social discomfort contributes mightily to the film’s feverish, discomforting energy.

Chris Hemsworth, 'Furiosa'

A big, charismatic swing from the God of Thunder, Hemsworth’s wounded and erratic villain works nicely as a contrast to Anya Taylor-Joy’s stoic heroine. It’s the character’s pain that makes him so dangerous.

Kani Kusruti, 'All We Imagine as Light'

A towering showcase of stillness and restraint, Kusruti’s journey through Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light” as a nurse in Mumbai culminates in a series of wrenching-but-hopeful moments in the film’s exquisite final minutes.

Lupita Nyong’o, 'A Quiet Place: Day One'

Despite earning an Oscar for “12 Years a Slave,” Nyong’o’s mesmerizing screen presence almost never gets the respect it deserves. She gave the best performance of 2019 in “Us,” serves as an emotional anchor in the “Black Panther” films and is a heartbreaking-but-fierce lead in this better-than-it-should-be monster-filled prequel.

Nicholas Hoult, 'Juror No. 2'

Much has been written about the outright criminality of Warner Bros. dumping this Clint Eastwood-directed legal drama onto Max, despite its wickedly fun premise. Hoult is uniformly stellar as a guilt-riddled juror trying to save an innocent man while trying to avoid his own deserved comeuppance.  

Kirsten Dunst, 'Civil War'

Mixed feelings about the film aside, Dunst holds this sprawling war film together as the weathered veteran photojournalist who wrestles with the psychological weight of stoic objectivity.

June Squibb, 'Thelma'

She’s a scooter-riding, walk-away-from-explosions-in-slow-motion, 95-year-old action star, and she’s 100 times more compelling than anyone in a “Fast & Furious” movie.

Dakota Johnson, 'Am I OK?'

The oft-maligned star of “Madame Web” salvaged her year with a warm, endearingly funny turn in this dramedy that landed unceremoniously on streaming as a Max exclusive. Skip the superhero slop and watch Johnson here, or in “The Lost Daughter,” or in “Suspiria,” or in “Cha Cha Real Smooth.”

Samuel L. Jackson, 'The Piano Lesson'

In a reprise of his Tony-nominated performance, Jackson’s quiet, observational performance allows the rest of the talented cast to launch into the kind of eruptive scenery-chewing most people expect of Jackson. It’s a welcome use of Jackson’s more subtle talents.

• • •

Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.

    This image released by Max shows Dakota Johnson in a scene from "Am I OK?"
  

    This image released by Magnolia Pictures shows Richard Roundtree and June Squibb in a scene from the film "Thelma."