Why wasn't Bright Star a more significant contender in the awards season? It was nominated for only one Oscar (Best Costume Design).

We can surely agree it's not a problem with Jane Campion's film itself, which was the definition of beautiful and poignant and boasted several top-notch performances (notably Abbie Cornish and Paul Schneider).

It happened to be my favorite film of 2009.

Was it the box office?
Was it new distributor Apparation and their inability to mount an epic, glitzy awards season campaign?
Was it simply lost in the shuffle?

Any thoughts?

http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/brightstar

Certainly not the best-reviewed film last year, but twelve 90+ reviews suggests it was certainly admired/loved by critics.

It probably didn't have a strong enough campaign.