Mia Wasikowska

The exorcism in Leviticus (2026) is meant to cure two boys of their desire for each other. We were horrified by the treatment of their attraction as something that must be driven out. As Arlene Reid, Mia Wasikowska makes an adult's conflict worth watching even while our sympathies remain firmly with the boys. Adrian Chiarella gives the adults motives without asking us to excuse them, and Wasikowska adds to the discomfort rather than softening it.

Her breakthrough as the troubled gymnast Sophie in In Treatment (2008) was followed by international recognition with Alice in Wonderland (2010). That could have led to a career defined by large studio films, but she kept mixing those with independent work. Park Chan-wook's Stoker (2013), with Wasikowska as India Stoker, gives a clearer indication of her interest in difficult characters and intense family relationships. Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak (2015), in which she plays Edith Cushing, continues her work in gothic stories.

Since around 2017, she has focused on independent and arthouse projects, often returning to Australia or working in Europe. She keeps returning to introspective, self-sufficient women, and her physically grounded performances make their independence convincing. We value that restraint, though it needs a director willing to give a character enough to do. Chiarella's attention to Arlene's conflict makes Leviticus a persuasive example: he allows us to consider what motivates her even when we cannot excuse it.

That does not make her a remedy for everything the film gets wrong. Some dialogue is blunt, and the late dip in tension matters in a horror film, however carefully the adults are played. Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen make the boys' attraction convincing, and their romance remains the reason to watch. Wasikowska accepts the less inviting job of adding to our unease, which is exactly what this story needs from her. We recommend it, with fair warning about the exorcism.