Pro: Performance, performance, performance. If acting branch members actually watch Michael Haneke's quietly harrowing drama about the dying of the light, they'd be hard-pressed to deny the devastating work of esteemed French veteran Trintignant (and his co-star Emmanuelle Riva) as an octogenarian accepting the reality of death. The film, and the actor, should hit a powerful emotional chord with many voters.

Con: Getting nominated for a foreign-language performance is always tougher than it is for English-speaking actors, especially with other French actors like Omar Sy in the mix. Meanwhile, Trintignant's quiet turn is less outwardly challenging than that of his co-star, who brilliantly plays a stroke victim – voters wowed by Riva may take him for granted.

- Guy Lodge