20 Best Movie Performances Of 2019

6. Willem Dafoe - The Lighthouse

Willem Dafoe has been on an absolute tear over the last few years, but his performance as a demented lighthouse keeper in Robert Eggers' sublime psychological horror film is arguably the very best he's ever done.

If nothing else, it's the only massively acclaimed performance of the year where the actor in question farts many times throughout their film, punching an unexpected hilarity into an otherwise full-throttle, go-for-broke depiction of cabin fever.

Dafoe is as committed as he's ever been and Robert Pattinson, who is also excellent here, makes for a shrewd scene partner off which to bounce the film's ferociously intense dialogues.

If Dafoe finally wins an Academy Award for this performance - which would be his fifth nomination - it'll be the most crowd-pleasing Oscar moment since Roger Deakins finally won the Best Cinematography Oscar for Blade Runner 2049 on his fourteenth nod. Make it happen, Academy voters.