15 Powerful Jessica Chastain Movies You Were Missing on Your Watchlist

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ILLUMINATION

10 min readFeb 21, 2022

An actor always possesses a desire to act in some unique characters that give satisfaction. With a diverse range of roles in her career, Jessica Chastain proves what characters she wants to work on. An actor is hungry to work on something that puts a mark on the film industry. Jessica Chastain has worked in such movies that make her an inevitable choice for the filmmakers. So, watching Jessica Chastain movies voraciously cannot be missable at all.

The actor who has given such powerful films in the Hollywood industry has already received Academy Award and BAFTA nominations. Her work in Zero Dark Thirty has been appreciated by audiences as well as critics around the world. The film also gave her Golden Globe Award.

If you turn over the pages of the best Jessica Chastain movies, you will be awestruck by her selection of the film. Every film is worth watching. With an impressive number of collections, she has worked with many prominent filmmakers such as Nolan, Ridley Scott, Kathryn Bigelow, and many more.

She is on the news because of her films such as The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The 355, and The Good Nurse. With a diverse range of roles in her bag, she proves her versatility in the film industry.

Now, let’s look at 15 powerful Jessica Chastain movies on this list.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

For which Jessica Chastain is mainly on the buzz is The Eyes of Tammy Faye. She has received various nominations including Golden Globe also. You really won’t be able to recognize her in this movie where she plays Tammy Faye Bakker, a legendary Television personality. The film is an appropriate example of a person’s humble rising to the top and subsequently falling to the ground.

Directed by Michael Showalter, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. This is one of the memorable performances in Jessica’s life. Chastain has put much effort to portray Tammy Faye diligently. Her natural appearance on the screen makes one of the best Jessica Chastain movies on our list. Without any doubt, along with the screenplay, Chastain’s performance catapulted the movie to a level higher.

Zero Dark Thirty

It’s worth mentioning how one film can change an actor’s life. From the beginning, Chastain was straight to choosing her character. When I watched this film, I was literally awestruck by Maya Harris played by Jessica Chastain. She plays a CIA analyst who goes after searching for Osama Bin Laden. She received a Golden Globe award for her performance in this film.

It instantly grabbed audiences’ attention because of the controversy over Osama Bin Laden’s around the world. She maintains suspense throughout the film. As soon as the film was released, it became an instant hit. The film went well at the box office as well as was appreciated hugely by the critics. Though Chastain received an Oscar nomination only, the film was a big breakout in her career.

Interstellar

Chastain had already made a mark in Hollywood with her performance. Nolan’s cast in Intersteller was another big break for her. Who denies that Intersteller is not one of the great movies in Jessica Chastain’s career? Though the role doesn’t put her in the central character, her presence is obviously admirable. This film is surely a noteworthy mention in her career. Because of the star-studded cast, Intersteller is a must-watch for every movie buff.

Chastain plays the adult version of Murph, Matthew McConaughey’s daughter. After making a strong foothold in the indie film industry, Interstellar finally gave scope to appear in mainstream cinema. Be it a small appearance but it is worth noticing and noteworthy as well. The film’s visual effects, storytelling, performance, everything makes it an inevitable watch for movie lovers around the world to witness the magic of cinema.

Watch on Amazon Prime

The Tree of Life

If you are familiar with Terence Malik movies, you know it’s all about fabulous cinematography and slow pacing narratives. His films enchant you with the proceeding of the camera forward. The Tree of Life was the early movie in Chastain’s career. With the presence of Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life stood out among other films in the industry. Apart from Brad Pitt, the cast includes Sean Penn.

Among some movies which shaped Chastain’s career as a better performer, The Tree of Life is one of them. It details the story of a person’s life from childhood to adolescence finding the true meaning of life. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it received Palme d’Or. Also, it was nominated for 3 awards in Oscar including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Director. With her early performance, Chastain’s work doesn’t dissatisfy any audience.

The Martian

After Nolan’s Interstellar, Chastain was cast in another sci-fi film. It was another big opportunity to work in a big-budget film with a prominent name in the industry. Ridley Scott-directed The Martian is a depiction of an astronaut’s struggle to survive on Mars. The film became a box office phenomenon. Because of the fantastic performance of the actors, audiences were attracted to the theatre.

No doubt, The Martian is one of such Jessica Chastain movies that catapulted her career to a higher level. The film received various accolades including Golden Globe, Academy Award, Hugo, and more. The Martian became a symbol that cemented the cinematic history with some exemplary movies of the century. Jessica Chastain proved her worth through this movie. It is an obvious watch for any movie buff, especially for sci-fi lovers.

Crimson Peak

You may not hear about Crimson Peak much but this is one of the underrated movies in Jessica Chastain’s life. If you are hungry about performance, you shouldn’t miss her act in this gothic film directed by Guillermo del Toro. She gives a chilling performance in this film. Though the film failed at the box office, Chastain’s performance was praised by the critics. It became a cult film of the year.

Crimson Peak depicts the gothic Sharpe mansion. After Edith marries Thomas Sharpe, she comes to know his secrets and about the house. Guillermo del Toro finely represents the classic gothic experience with romance. Jessica Chastain learned a lot of things to grab the inner side of her character. Her performance helped the film to push towards a new level.

Mama

Reading the name, one can easily imagine the film centers on a mother. You are wrong. It’s not an emotional movie if you go by the name but it comes with an element of horror. When a couple takes care of their two nieces, they confront a supernatural spirit that is haunting them. Mama is that spirit. Jessica Chastain appears in a completely new avatar with a blacky eyes, a tattoo, and new hair.

Her performance in the movie makes us believe in her spontaneous acting skill. Besides her performance mainly in indie dramas, Chastain proves her worth by working in horror films also. Though the film got mixed reviews from the critics, Mama proved to be a box office hit globally. After the success of the film, there was a buzz that audiences would get a sequel also but there is no confirmation yet. it’s an indie film also directed by Argentinian director Andy Muschietti.

Molly’s Game

It was Aaron Sorkin’s first directorial venture in Hollywood. With a marvelous star-studded cast, Molly’s Game depicts the life of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who went on to run the world’s most exclusive high stakes poker game. Based on a true story, Molly’s Game explores a portion of Molly Bloom’s life when she had to be the target of an FBI investigation. The film went well at the box office with Chastain’s blown-away performance.

It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The most important feature of this film is its star cast including Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, and others. Especially Chastain received immense appreciation from the critics. Even her performance in this film was considered one of the best in her career. The film received various nominations including Golden Globe, Academy Award, BAFTA, WGA, and many others.

The Help

The Help was an unbelievable moment in Jessica Chastain’s career because this film gave her first Oscar nomination. She plays Celia Foote, a housewife desperately trying to cope with society. The film is a great depiction of African-American maids who regularly faced struggles in their daily lives in the 1960s period. It exposes racism at its best. Along with Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, Chastain is a delight to watch whenever she appears on the screen.

The film made a huge box office success as well as got positive reviews from the critics. Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, The Help stood out among other films of that year and satisfied the expectation of millions of audiences. Also, the controversy the novel created pushed the film to a peak level of success. It was the first major box office hit in Chastain’s film career. The Help would be a great watch if you love to get acquainted with racism in 1960s America.

A Most Violent Year

This is a perfect example of a crime-thriller movie. The movie lovers who love to watch crime thrillers should surely watch this significant piece. The film centers around a fule supplier in NYC who struggles to balance between his family and business. But there is more to see because the city is already filled with crime and corruption. This Oscar Issac and Jessica Chastain pair push the movie forward to an interesting level.

Chastain’s performance as a hard-hearted wife is moderately admirable. She manages to maintain her cold attitude throughout the movie. It’s a pretty entertaining film that didn’t do well at the box office. But watching Jessica Chastain in a thriller film is worth the time. The pair does a good job but don’t compare this film with the new Scenes from a Marriage that is far better.

Watch on Amazon Prime Miss Sloane

Miss Sloane is a political thriller film where Chastain plays Elizabeth Sloane, a lobbyist in DC. She fights for the gun control legislation but becomes helpless when the opposite party confronts her. This film is not a box office hit but Chastain’s performance was praised by the critics. Most importantly her performance as a fierce lobbyist reminds us of some previous films like Network. Because of her performance, Miss Sloane stands out as a good political thriller.

We see her strong and ruthless personality in this film. Throughout the film, a tense situation holds our attention to the end. John Madden who is known for Shakespeare in Love directed this film. Chastain is as confident as in her previous films. After working in The Martian, Zero Dark Thiry, this nail-biting thriller makes her place stronger as an A-list star in the Hollywood industry. To be accustomed to the nooks and corners of DC politics, Miss Sloane could be an amazing watch.

Woman Walks Ahead

Like Crimson Peak, Woman Walks Ahead is also an underrated film from Jessica Chastain. The film centers on Catherine, a painter who travels from Brooklyn to Dakota to paint the Lakota Leader played by Michael Greyeyes. But ultimately she gets involved in their tribe’s fight to protect their land. Though the film is based on an interesting plot, it failed to create a box office hit.

Some beautiful locations surrounded by mountains, costumes along with Chastain’s performance put us in the 1890s era. Susana White directed Woman Walks Ahead premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. With some mixed reviews, this film went into the grave later on. Chastain maintains her character with a balancing act throughout the film. Sitting Bull (Greyeyes) should also deserve the same appreciation.

Watch on Amazon Prime Jolene

This film is Chastain’s first film debut that gave her a scope to fulfill her dream in the Hollywood industry. Jolene here is a representation of a person’s journey from an inexperienced kid to an experienced adult. Chastain plays Jolene who experiences an adventure of life through sex, love, and heartbreak. Based on a short story by E. L. Doctorow, Dan Ireland found Chastain as a prominent cast in his film.

The film doesn’t have much to attract you again but this is one of the great Jessica Chastain movies that you cannot skip. You will find out her early performance which makes her what is today. She is professional-looking in the film. All the attention goes to her throughout the film. As you see the film, you will feel you are experiencing the adventure in your own life. Jolene is a perfect example of a contradictory film for many viewers.

The Forgiven

With a prominent star cast, The Forgiven shows us a place in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The film explores the lives of the local Muslims and the western visitors to a house party in a villa. The film is based on Lawrence Osborne’s novel. A new movie released in 2021 in Chastain’s career premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Along with Chastain, it also stars Ralph Fiennes.

Tough as per box office success, there is a disappointment, the film satisfied the critics with some favorable reviews. This John Michael McDonagh-directed The Forgiven is an entertaining piece that is a mix of penance and provocation. As usual, Jessica Chastain stands among other prominent star casts. This is yet another beautiful movie featuring Jessica Chastain.

It: Chapter Two

After Mama, this was Chastain’s second attempt in a ghost film. After the phenomenal success of “It”, the second installment of the series came with a huge expectation. And no doubt, “It: Chapter Two” also became a blockbuster hit and broke box office records. Based on Stephen King’s novel, chapter 2 shows us losers club has grown up. They receive a call again from Pennywise after 27-years. They plan to destroy it for once and all by reuniting with each other.

So far, you read the plot of this film. It’s a really interesting story where every minute makes you horrified. The same director, Andy Muschietti, who directed Mama and the first part of “It” is the director of the second installment of this series also. Jessica Chastain appears as Beverly Marsh being the only female member in the Losers Club. She perfectly maintains the rhythm with the tension of the film. With other prominent casts like James McAvoy and Bill Hader, It: Chapter Two makes a distinctive place in the horror film industry.

Originally published at https://www.filmomaniac.com on February 21, 2022.

15 Powerful Jessica Chastain Movies You Were Missing on Your Watchlist

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Zero Dark Thirty

Interstellar

Written by RABI CHATTERJEE