Most audiences are probably focused on the 2 faces that dominate the movie posters: Juliette Binoche (if you're European) or Johnny Depp (if you're American). Fair enough, I think both actors gave incredible performances. But wow for my money the show stealer was either Judi Dench or Alfred Molina. What do you think?

Judi Dench got her fair share of accolades: Oscar nom, BAFTA nom, Golden Globes nom for best supporting actress (she should've swept all 3). But why no hat tips for Alfred Molina? I think he's really the only person who could've pulled off one of the trickiest roles in film history. He's a detestable villain--the tyrannical Mayor who mercilessly tries to run Vianne out of town simply because Vianne doesn't conform to the town's ultra conservative religion and cartoonish morality. BUT we don't completely hate him, and in fact he provides a lot of the refreshing comedy as well as the real internal conflict: the battle between appearances & actions, for which we sympathize deeply with his pain. Especially when he tries to play Pygmalion by converting a worthless scumbag (the drunk, abusive husband Serge) into a fine upstanding citizen by slapping a suit on him and making him attend bible school, we sense that the Mayor is not a totally evil creature but he himself is wrestling with the concept of goodness which eludes him. Molina pulls it off: cruelty, comedy and pathos. And his climactic scene in the shop window has all 3 elements in full force.

So the real show-stealer? Tough call because like I said every actor did a stunning job. I could go on for a few paragraphs about Judi's complex portrayal of the cranky lost soul with a heart. But I gotta go with Molina on this one.

The show-stealing scene (mild spoilers): Giving into Temptation