Are we right now in a position to call Kristen Stewart the Best Actress frontrunner? I am slightly inclined to think so. Despite my reservations for “Spencer,” there is no disputing the fact that Stewart gives it her all as Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain’s puzzling movie. It’s a script driven by her performance, through and through.

Facing hurdles throughout her career, mostly due to those silly “Twilight” movies, K-Stew has more than thoroughly earned herself the reputation of being a solid actress. She’s no doubt worked very hard for it, continuously choosing projects based on director rather than box-office prospects.

Some of her best performances include “Personal Shopper,” “Certain Woman,” “Adventureland” and “Clouds of Sils Maria.” All of these much stronger work than what she does in “Spencer.” However, the narrative has been written and Stewart may very well be the frontrunner this year.

As I was amassing a possible list of contenders for the Best Actress category, I realized just how scant the amount of noteworthy performances have been on the female front this year. There are 10 solid bets right now for this category, with not many surprises expected to sneak into this well-established list of female players. And, they are:

FRONTRUNNERS:

Kristen Stewart (Spencer)
Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Jennifer Hudson (Respect)
Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)
Emilia Jones (CODA)

CONTENDERS:

Penelope Cruz (Paralel Mothers)
Reinate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World)
Jodie Comer (The Last Duel)
Halle Berry (Bruised)

STILL HAVEN’T SEEN:

Lady Gaga (House of Gucci)
Frances McDormand (The Tragedy of MacBeth)
Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley)
Nicole Kidman (Meet the Ricardos)
Rachel Zegler (West Side Story)