"The Eyes of Tammy Faye": Subtlety of Satire Combined with Poignant Drama.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye was prevalent during the 2022 awards season. With two astounding and popular leads, the film was bound to garner some attention. Academy-favored Jessica Chastain transforms in the lead role of Tammy Faye, creating a rich performance imbued with Chastain's values and admiration. Chastain, of course, has produced consistent hard-hitting performances and demonstrated exemplary industry savvy. Ultimately, the passion project paid off for Chastain, who brought home the Oscar for Best Actress in 2022 for her performance as Tammy Faye Bakker, televangelist and pop-culture phenomenon of the mid-to-late 20th century.

With Tammy Faye, Chastain blurred the lines between passion, craft, media, and industry, creating a tailored narrative of peace and inclusion set within the Christian community, which, to much dismay, is often not peaceful nor inclusive. Chastain makes the filmmaking and narrative-driven messaging work both industrially within Hollywood and as an actor committed to authenticity and dynamic storytelling.

Garfield has been tearing up the industry this past year, with three high-profile projects circulating the press and awards season. Not only did Garfield stun and delight in Lin-Manuel Miranda's movie-musical Tick, Tick, Boom!, but Garfield also led a performance of deflection while promoting the film. He had to try very hard not to give up the closely-guarded, reality-bending secret of his involvement with Marvel's Spider-Man: No Way Home. The man deserves a break after the busy few years he's had.

Each year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences publishes its rulebook for eligibility guidelines and qualifications for the Academy Awards, a.k.a. the "Oscars." In Garfield's case, his leading performance as Jim Bakker was strong enough to warrant Oscar's buzz. However, his performance in Jonathan Larson in Tick, Tick, Boom! took the spotlight due to his vocal performance. The catch: an actor can only be nominated once a year in one category. For example, if Jim Bakker was a supporting role in Tammy Faye, Garfield could have been nominated for Lead Actor and Supporting Actor, one nomination for each film.

However, both roles are leading roles. According to Academy rules, a double nomination in one category is not permitted. Garfield's team was forced to make a strategic decision to choose which film they thought he'd have the best shot of catching the Oscar. Historically, the Academy's voting members have favored movie-musical roles reflecting the entertainment industry (think La La Land, for one). Although Garfield didn't take home his own Oscar, the past two years of films, press, and nominations have made him a household name, thanks to his broad appeal and acting range. He's come out on top, even without the golden statuette.

Tammy Faye supporting actor Vincent D'Onofrio, also emerged from the same situation in Marvel's small-screen sphere. Previously, D'Onofrio starred as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in Netflix's Daredevil, which has been re-acquisitioned under the Marvel Studios umbrella and appeared as the same character in Hawkeye. It's safe to say there were a lot of eyes on this cast before the campaigns of the awards season started.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is true to the ethos of Tammy Faye Bakker, not those who surrounded her. The decades-spanning story is undoubtedly nostalgic for viewers who grew up watching Tammy Faye as a child and followed her career through her media coverage. However, that nostalgia comes with a double-edged sword. The themes, messages, and events depicted in Tammy Faye may be uncomfortable to watch for audiences who grew up in situations where religion was used as a fallacy in an attempt at persuasion by parents and other influential figures.

It is essential to be clear that Tammy Faye does not glorify bigoted religious practices, particularly those depicted in America and disguised as American patriotism. Director Michael Showalter (The Big Sick), with Abe Sylvia's screenplay, crafts a film with the drama of a film such as Spotlight (2015) or The King's Speech (2010), combined with the satirical genius of Adam McKay. Where McKay can craft a compelling drama based on satirical comedy, Showalter combines subtle and not-so-subtle digs at the gullibility of the masses with genuine desperation for Tammy Faye Bakker's brand of tolerance and love of fellow humankind. The film's last scene features an American flag unfurling behind Tammy as she delivers a gospel performance, for no thematic reason other than metatheatrically pointing out to audiences that Americans somehow equate religion with the American flag. The Eyes of Tammy Faye does not shy away from using the medium of cinema to comment on the troubling harmony between American politics and corrupted Christianity.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a film that knows how to use its medium to showcase the depth of its story and characters. Jessica Chastain's performance and (Academy Award-winning makeup and hairstyling) transformation earned her well-deserved Oscars win. The film will stand as a cultural marker, explaining why and how the film needed to be made at this moment in social and cinematic history.