Forget ‘Avatar,’ This 8-Part Netflix Drama Is Zoe Saldaña’s Best Performance

Now an Academy Award winner for her performance in Emilia Pérez, Zoe Saldaña has spent more than two decades proving she's one of Hollywood's most versatile performers. While her Oscar-winning turn as Rita showcased her ability to command the screen through music, dance, and drama, it was far from the first time Saldaña delivered a performance that left a lasting impression.

Years before taking home the industry's highest honor, she gave one of the most emotionally affecting performances of her career in Netflix's From Scratch. As Amy, an aspiring artist who falls in love with an Italian chef while studying abroad, Saldaña anchors a deeply moving story about love, family, grief, and finding yourself in the midst of life's greatest joys and heartbreaks.

In 'From Scratch,' Zoe Saldaña Showcases Her Acting Range

Within the first episode of From Scratch, Saldaña's character, Amy, moves to a different country to study art, falls in love twice, completes an art course, and breaks up one relationship to pursue her eventual partner, Lino (Eugenio Mastrandrea). If all this does not prepare the audience for the emotional journey Amy navigates, the rest of the series only doubles down on the emotional exploration and capitalizes on the actress's acting depth to present a very sensitive portrayal of good ol' romance and familial bonding in this Netflix series. Based on show creator Tembi Locke's memoir of the same name, From Scratch is the perfect binge-watch for everyone looking to witness the now Oscar-winning actress at the peak of her acting ability.

From dealing with professional struggles to going on a crippling emotional journey, From Scratch's storyline puts Saldaña's character in the nucleus of every situation possible in a romance drama, giving the actress ample opportunities to explore a wide spectrum of emotions on screen. At the onset, Amy decides to choose to pursue art in a foreign country over her father's dream of her pursuing law, resulting in tensions between Amy and her father. The broken relationship of her divorced parents, Hershel (Keith David) and Lynn (Kellita Smith), only adds to the tense family dynamic. Beyond everything, Amy's inner conflict emerging from her constant struggle to pursue her dreams – her art – is a defining characteristic of Saldaña's character. Even to pursue her art, as Amy's teacher in Florence suggests, Amy needs to "look in," which she discovers is easier said than done. In this way, From Scratch's story demands that Saldaña's character undertake a journey of self-discovery, and the actress, through her performance, brings all the colors of Amy's character to the screen with an equal amount of sincerity and rigor.

Saldaña Peaks in the Netflix Romance Drama 'From Scratch'

Most of From Scratch focuses on Amy's journey with Lino, whom she chanced upon during her time in Florence. Amy and Lino's love story is one written in heaven, but this does not mean that it doesn't have its share of ups and downs. From the conflict emerging from Lino's decision to move to the U.S. to Amy's self-doubt as a parent, all provide fertile ground for significant character development for Saldaña's character, which is then only further bolstered by the actress' emotionally driven performance. Saldaña's performance really shines through in a scene when Amy is confronted by her sister, Zora (Danielle Deadwyler), for not providing support when Zora needed it the most, despite the latter's sacrifices throughout the years. In this scene, Saldaña brings to the screen a child-like innocence laden with heartbreak emerging from sibling estrangement, imposing the character's emotion on the audience with ease.

From Scratch has a tenderness to the treatment it gets from directors Nzingha Stewart and Dennie Gordon. With the backdrop of artsy-looking houses and picturesque settings, the Netflix series allows its characters to be looked at from a point of constant admiration and adoration, even when the characters constantly struggle to make choices and appear vulnerable. The pairing of Amy, who belongs to a pure Texan family, with the Sicilian chef Lino naturally results in ample opportunities for the show to explore a reconciliation of different cultures and the challenges that come from traversing the boundaries of tradition – all things that the Netflix drama handles with finesse and sensitivity.

'From Scratch' Revels in Its Heartfelt Moments, With Saldaña at the Center

There are ample moments in From Scratch that allow for emotion to take the front seat; some of this makes for some extremely cheesy and clichéd scenes. However, the heart of the story lies when a tragedy befalls the couple, and Lino becomes the victim of a debilitating disease. At this stage in the series, the challenges of providing care for somebody who's dying and how that breaks and strengthens Amy and Lino's relationship become the focal point. Consequently, Saldaña navigates the journey of somebody fighting an illness that does not belong to her.

In the bittersweet moments between Lino and Amy, From Scratch truly shines, as the show focuses on allowing the audience to savor each moment in its complete emotional depth, with Saldaña and Mastrandrea flourishing in their roles. While we see Mastrandrea's character completely cover an entire range of character development due to his illness, her character also undergoes a transformative emotional experience throughout the story as an artist, a parent, a woman, and a woman of color.

In one of her most emotional performances, Saldaña shines through her character. From Scratch allows the character of Amy to blossom completely, much like the roses in her garden, in a story brimming with emotion and love. In her character in From Scratch, Saldaña showcases the same grit and spirit reflected by her Academy Award speech on Sunday. Possibly, the fact that the actress is married to the Italian artist Marco Perego helped Saldaña bring some of her lived experiences to the screen. Regardless of whether it did, Saldaña is the beating heart of this Netflix drama that thrives on the sweet and savory moments driven by the chaos of life.

All episodes of From Scratch are available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.