You probably hadn’t heard of To Leslie before celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett suddenly started praising it in a last-minute Oscar campaign for lead actress Andrea Riseborough. Well, I’m here to tell you that Gwyneth and Cate are right: To Leslie is really good, and it’s available to rent for cheap on digital platforms now. Riseborough stars as a single mother named Leslie, who wins $190,000 in her local Texas lottery, but eventually loses all her winnings to alcoholism. In the quiet, intense character study that follows, Leslie lets down her loved ones and blows her second, third, and fourth chances. Riseborough injects her performance with heartbreaking vulnerability and helplessness, and you’ll find yourself unable to look away.
Photo: Everett Collection
