56. Jodie Foster as Sarah Tobias 
     The Accused (1988)

Foster always rises above her material. This drama, inspired by a real gang-rape case, is anything but subtle, but she creates an authentic, multifaceted character in Sarah, a waitress with a sharp tongue and a shady reputation. You see in her the kind of understanding that comes to those who’ve seen the darkest side of human nature. During the protracted rape flashback, there is a moment when the camera focuses on her. Her tear-stained face is eerily, chillingly blank—as if Foster has left her body. You don’t think “Oscar.” You think, “My God. Why won’t someone help this poor woman?”

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