10 Possible Oscar Contenders From The First Half Of 2015

2) Carol

Cate Blanchett is getting terrific buzz out of Cannes for her performance in Todd Haynes’ period romance about a dutiful housewife who falls for and begins a torrid affair with a female department shopworker (Rooney Mara). Though set in the ’50s, the story of a lesbian romance is highly topical right now with marriage equality in the headlines, and reviews have hailed it as an instant classic, gorgeously directed and luminously acted.

Particular praise has been lobbied at Haynes, who is primed to snag a Best Director nomination, and nods for Blanchett and Mara, costume designer Sandy Powell and composer Carter Burwell don’t seem out of the question either. In this first half of the year, few films have been as universally fingered as a contender.