“Unlike Clint Eastwood‘s Changeling, there is no melodrama in I’ve Loved You So Long, only real, quiet, strong acting,” says Daily Beast columnist Tom Tapp. Kristin Scott Thomas‘ Juliette does not rant at society’s injustices. Hers is a reactive performance. She watches the family. She watches her employers. She watches her sister. And somehow, our attention is held the entire time — I was completely captivated observing her, observing the world.

“Thomas’s is the kind of performance that critics always say deserves an Oscar, but rarely wins: an interior role in a small film in another language. But who knows? The critics have been rapturous. Maybe the Academy will be as well. The film will be a glaring absence in the Foreign Film category (France’s The Class is France’s selection this year), but we’d be glad to see Thomas in the Best Actress category again, where she belongs. There certainly has not been a better performance this year in any country.”