Akhilesh C.
5. The Promise (2011)
Only with a 4-part run, ‘The Promise’ is perhaps one of the shortest living miniseries on British television. Set in the backdrop of the infamous Israel-Palestine conflict, ‘The Promise’ features Claire Foy as Erin Matthews, a British teenager who’s on the trail of her grandfather’s journey into the war-torn nations, while and where he was posted in the land of disputes after the Second World War, prior to the termination of the British Mandate of Palestine. As Erin’s fascination towards Israel intensifies, the never-ending conflict and the vulnerability of her existence in the nation raises many-a-questions. Having received rave reviews and a widespread critical acclaim post its release, ‘The Promise’ is Claire Foy’s most underrated venture which also went unnoticed by many.
4. Little Dorrit (2008)
Based on the Charles Dickens’ novel of the same name, ‘Little Dorrit’ takes us down the memory lane everytime we watch it. The Primetime Emmy Award-winning miniseries across seven categories, with several nominations at the BAFTA and Golden Globe, has Amy Dorrit (Claire Foy) as its central character.
Amy Dorrit, having spent her childhood years in a prison meant for debt-defaulters is working as a seamstress at Mrs Clennam’s in a dilapidated home, to support her father who’s still in jail while trying to make her ends meet. Enter Arthur, the prodigal son of Mr Clennam and the potential answer to Amy’s troubles. As Arthur falls for Amy, the latter’s troubles only seemingly grow as Amy’s brother too runs neck-deep in debt and joins their father in prison. Set around the Marshalsea prison for debt defaulters, an infamous penitentiary in the early 17th century for debt-ridden fellas, ‘Little Dorrit’ has literally been brought to life thanks to Foy and her acting powerhouse cohorts.
3. Unsane (2018)
I’d call ‘Unsane’ an insanely intense movie with its own moments. This Steven Soderbergh’s enterprise is his yet another stint at dark psychological thrillers that circles around Claire Foy as Sawyer Valentini, a young woman who is troubled by a stalker. Though there are a bunch of loose ends in the movie, the top-notch cinematography pretty much covers for all the flaws, accompanied by the class-act of Foy.
Foy’s departure from her English accent is practically seamless, and she’s notably as American as ever. As the story progresses, Sawyer has unknowingly committed herself to an asylum, the troubled stalker has returned to haunt her along with her “condition” followed by a few deaths. Though all goes well, yet Sawyer constantly reels under her troublesome past. ‘Unsane’ is definitely filled with satisfying moments, but in parts. Claire Foy’s work is outstanding.
2. Breathe (2017)
A lesser-known directorial debut of the “performance capture” genius Andy Serkis, who is rather known for his roles in front of the camera as Gollum, Caesar, Ulysses Klaue etc., and a yet another biopic on this list, ‘Breathe’ is the narrative of the life and times of Robin Cavendish, the towering British advocate known for his social works for disabled people and helping them with various aids to ease their suffering, who was himself diagnosed with Polio at the age of 28 and was subsequently paralysed for life from the neck down. Similar to Stephen Hawking’s life-story, Cavendish too was initially given three months to live, but he won over his nay-sayers and proved them all wrong.
Claire Foy could be seen playing Diana Cavendish, Robin’s wife who stays by his side through thick and thin. Overall, ‘Breathe’ is heartwarming, inspiring, and tear-jerking at the same time, coupled with the brilliant performances of Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, among others.
1. The Crown (2016-)
Wasn’t a difficult guess, was it? ‘The Crown’ is the absolute crown-jewel of Claire Foy’s career and the poise she has exhibited as Queen Elizabeth II couldn’t have been done any better by anyone on the planet. To start with, ‘The Crown’ is centred around the revered British Monarch, also one of the longest reigning monarchs of the world. The first two seasons are spanned between prior to the demise of King George VI up until the birth of Prince Edward, her youngest.
Both the seasons are a roller-coaster ride featuring the various national and international turmoils, the turbulence in the relationship between the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the frequently changing Prime Ministers of the country, Queen’s shaky relationship with her sister Princess Margaret, while the Queen constantly strives to protect the Royal family and keeping up with the Royal traditions. There are moments when the demarcating line between Claire Foy and the Queen vanishes, which clearly indicates the former’s maturity and evolution as an actor, and also a well-deserving recipient of the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. ‘The Crown’ is going to stay in our memories for a long, long time.
Read More: Andrew Garfield Movies
