Rooney Mara is one of the industry’s finest actresses, and also one of the most selective. Although Mara isn’t in as many major blockbuster films as some of her contemporaries, she’s shown exquisite taste in the rare projects that she dedicates herself to.
With the possible exception of Joe Wright’s 2015 version of Pan, she’s been in almost exclusively great movies! This certainly makes narrowing down her best work no easy task, especially given the exciting future that she has in the industry. These Rooney Mara’s best films, ranked.
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot is one of the most underrated films within Gus Van Sant’s career, and served as an early collaboration between Mara and Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix stars as the controversial cartoonist John Callahan, whose odd “slice of life” stories became extremely controversial when they first debuted. Mara appears as John’s romantic interest Annu, who helps him adjust to his paralysis and recovery from alcoholism.
Even though the film has many clichés that are common within biopics, Mara’s work stands out as rising above the material. Her romantic chemistry with Phoenix in particular is quite excellent.
9 ‘A Ghost Story’ (2017)
A Ghost Story is an existentialist drama film that explores the totality of human existence as it relates to small-town life. Some may argue that the film’s examination of such weighty themes makes it somewhat pretentious, but it never feels like director David Lowery is sacrificing the emotions of his characters.
In fact, the film’s emotional through line comes from the story of a talented young musician (Casey Affleck), whose death leaves his grieving wife (Mara) to rediscover his work. Mara perfectly embodies the psychology of a grieving woman who seeks an end to her emotional suffering.
8 ‘Nightmare Alley’ (2021)
Nightmare Alley is one of the darkest films within Guillermo del Toro’s entire filmography. The 2021 dramatic thriller explores the life of the enigmatic circus showman Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), who is able to trick hapless people into believing that he has supernatural powers.
Stan enlists the help of the young performer Molly Cahill (Mara) to help make his deceptions more believable. Mara brings an aura of ethereal innocence to her that makes the film’s downbeat ending even more heartbreaking; she’s the one bright spot in a very disturbing film.
7 ‘Lion’ (2016)
Lion is based on the incredible true story of Saroo Bireley (Dev Patel), a young man who was separated from his family in India when he was very young. Later in his life, Saroo’s girlfriend (Mara) shows him how to use the Internet to connect with people he has lost contact with.
The story itself is a very inspirational one that makes the important decision to focus on Saroo’s perspective, rather than common tropes found in similar storylines. Mara’s performance is strong, but she doesn’t take over the film’s narrative.
6 ‘Ain’t Them Bodies Saints’ (2013)
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints was the first collaboration between Mara, Lowery, and Affleck; it just goes to show how perfect this trio is at working together! This oddly ethereal crime drama follows a bank robber (Affleck) who is forced to leave behind his girlfriend (Mara) after going on the run from a band of criminals.
Despite the darker nature of the story, Mara and Affleck are able to make the romantic element still feel inspiring. It’s impressive that they are able to convey such strong emotions, despite only spending a small amount of time together on screen.
5 ‘The Social Network’ (2010)
Mara is only in The Social Network for a very brief amount of time, but she gives one of the film’s most important performances. It was essential for David Fincher to show that despite how brilliant Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) was, he was a selfish jerk that had no interest in actually using Facebook to help anyone other than himself.
This is evident during the opening scene where Zuckerberg is dumped by his girlfriend (Mara) for being so obnoxious. The words of advice that Mara’s character gives to Zuckerberg are ones he probably should have listened to!
4 ‘Her’ (2013)
Even though Her was released less than one decade ago, the concept of forming an emotional relationship with a piece of technology feels even more realistic today. In many ways, Spike Jonze’s 2014 science fiction film feels like it’s only slightly removed from reality!
The film examines the emotional anguish of the divorced man Theodore Twombly (Phoenix), who reflects upon his failed marriage with his ex-wife (Mara) after forming a somewhat romantic bond with his new artificial intelligence software Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). Mara is essential to making the film’s flashback sequences work.
3 ‘Carol’ (2015)
Carol is one of the most heartbreaking LGBTQ romance films ever made; Todd Haynes’ emotional love story cuts to the heart of why bigotry and hatred are so destructive. The film follows the life of the wealthy woman Carol (Cate Blanchett), who begins to consider leaving her cruel husband (Kyle Chandler) after falling in love with a younger woman (Mara) that works at a Christmas shop.
Although it’s a fleeting relationship, Mara and Blanchett are absolutely sensational during the scenes where they get to be a relatively happy couple. It’s a darker take on a holiday romance.
2 ‘Women Talking’ (2022)
Women Talking is a perfect example of what getting a ton of great actors in the same room together can do for a film. The film explores the decisions made by a group of Mennonite women within an isolated community after they discover that they are all being preyed upon by the same group of sexually abusive men.
Mara appears alongside stars such as Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, and Frances McDormand. The conversations they hold may not be pleasant to listen to, but they are important for everyone to hear.
1 ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (2011)
With all due respect to both Claire Foy and Noomi Rapace, Mara remains the best actress to ever take on the role of Lisbeth Salander in an adaptation of one of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo novels.
After showing what Mara could do in The Social Network, David Fincher cast her in the lead role in his terrific adaptation of the famed novel. Foy captures the intelligence, anger, and vulnerability of Lisbeth in her Academy Award nominated performance. It’s quite tragic that the film never received a proper sequel.