I take Oscar nominations with a grain of salt. But after watching In the Valley of Elah, I have to wonder why this movie wasn’t nominated for Best Picture or Tommy Lee Jones for Best Actor.

Don’t get me wrong; I loved Juno and enjoyed Michael Clayton. But Elah blows both of these films out of the water.

And it was snubbed at the Golden Globes in the same categories over Eastern Promises, American Gangster, and others. I saw both of those films and neither can hold a candle to Elah. Don’t get me wrong. Viggo Mortensen and Denzel Washington were flawless in their respective roles, but the movies were either insufferable (Promises) or needlessly drawn out (Gangster).

In the Valley of Elah is based on actual events about an Army soldier who returns from Iraq only to go missing and later found murdered. I realize that description doesn’t send people running to Blockbuster, but the story is more than that. It addresses what soldiers experience in active duty, how they adapt back into “normal” life in the States, and how families deal with the loss of a child.

I can’t recall the last time I reacted so strongly to a movie—Elah is truly heartbreaking. Don’t let Oscar and Globe nominations decide the must-see movies because they really missed the boat on this one.

Rent Elah and see a snapshot of what we have experienced as a country during wartime and as families with relatives overseas.