It’s possible to admire the grand, sweeping ambitions poured into the production of Agora without having much use for the movie itself. Alejandro Amenábar delves into a milieu — 4th century Alexandria — that’s rarely, if ever, been depicted on film. Therein, he constructs a narrative centered not on the standard ancient conceits of big battles and grand speeches about liberty, but the struggle to comprehend mankind’s place in the cosmos.

Cannes is just a few months away, and since we’re tired of caring about the Oscars, The Hollywood Reporter has released a list of possibles that’s too good not to dissect.