In a year when the most celebrated actors were often playing real people, it was a relief to see them disappear into make-believe.

Viola Davis as Rose Maxson in “Fences” (2016)

CreditDavid Lee/Paramount Pictures

The best performances of 2018 were both generous and precise. They had heft and, often, humor. They served the narrative but never at the cost of the actor’s personal point of view. And even then there were those who made their marks in films that didn’t really deserve them. Here are my choices for the 10 best performances by actors in 2018.

Viola Davis, “Widows”

This may seem like an odd pick given that Ms. Davis plays a supporting role in Steve McQueen’s heist thriller, but she’s so good — gruff, sly and touchingly vulnerable — that I felt compelled to acknowledge her work. Liam Neeson is fine as a corrupt Chicago pol with a double life, Colin Farrell is solid as his reform-minded opponent, and Brian Tyree Henry makes an indelible impression as Farrell’s gangster brother. But Ms. Davis steals every scene she’s in as Farrell’s widow and makes you wish she had been given more to do than

A version of this list appears in the December 30, 2018 issue of The New York Times Book Review.

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What was the best movie of the year? Well, that depends on what you mean by “best.” If you want to see a film that was made with a minimum of fuss and a whole lot of love, try “The Favourite.” (It’s also pretty funny.) If you’re looking for something more sober, maybe “The Rider” is more up your alley. Or perhaps you’d prefer something more uplifting: “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” or “RBG”?

No matter where your taste lies, we have something for you on this list. It includes two movies about women who were born into poverty and became legends; one about an African-American man who finds himself lost in space; and another about a transgender woman who returns to her hometown to care for her dying mother

List of films:

Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma”

Yorgos Lanthimos’s “The Favourite”

Jordan Peele’s “Us”

Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed”

Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace”

Boots Riley’s “Sorry to Bother You”

Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman”

Eric Roth’s “A Star Is Born”

Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here”

1. “The Miseducation of Cameron Post”

2. “Support the Girls”

3. “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot”

4. ‘Thoroughbreds”

5. “Crazy Rich Asians”

6. “Cold War”

7. “Leave No Trace”

8. ‘Sorry to Bother You’

9. “The Rider”