1.The Irishman

2. Clemency

3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire

4. By the Grace of God

5. Peterloo

6. Pain and Glory

7. Ash is Purest White

8. Non-Fiction

9. Pavarotti

10. The Farewell

Other outstanding films of 2019 listed in no particular order include:

The strongest and most enjoyable film is the opening night selection, “The Truth” (“La vérité”), a sophisticated and absorbing work directed and written by Hirokazu Kore-eda (“Shoplifters”). Catherine Deneuve gives another memorable performance, this time as Fabienne Dangeville, an aging actress who has published her memoir. Her daughter, Lumir, played by Juliette Binoche, accompanied by her American actor-husband Hank (Ethan Hawke), returns from New York for the occasion. Put Deneuve and Binoche together and the result is extra strong.

Mother-daughter issues surface. We also get a portrait of Fabienne being jealous of a younger newcomer actress who is everything she can no longer be. There is in addition a back story of Fabienne having edged out another actress for a film role with dire results, and revelations that justify the film’s title.

The dialogue is sharp and, above all, Deneuve delivers the caliber of performance that has made her an icon of French cinema. And director Kore-eda knows how to show her skill to full advantage.

The other superior film is the political comedy “Alice and the Mayor” (“Alice et le maire”), written and directed by Nicolas Pariser. Here too there are superior performances that light up the screen. Anaïs Demoustier plays Alice Heimann, a philosophy professor at Oxford who accepts a job with the mayor’s office in Lyon, her hometown. The mayor, Paul Théraneau, played by the always-excellent Fabrice Luchini, is feeling drained of ideas and figures someone with a background in philosophy might come up with inspiring fresh thoughts about running the city.

The job is a kind of nebulous one, but Alice takes to writing memos and the mayor, appreciating her, views her above his other seasoned staff members. Her ideas about making the mayor and the city function better revive the mayor’s spirit. In the process he and Alice develop a very close relationship—no, not a romantic one—that makes the mayor not only get more confidence but regard Alice as a friend with whom he can talk candidly about his thoughts and feelings.

This leads to the mayor considering a run for higher office. Should he or shouldn’t he? Throughout we get a picture of French politics with background issues discussed and debated, and that gives the film weight as well as doses of comedy. Yet the overall thrust is serious as a description of the choices political leaders face and must make. In addition, director Pariser provides an excellent scenic background of Lyon.

Cast Juliette Binoche in a film and one can be sure to get a sharp character portrayal. That’s true in “Who You Think I Am” (“Celle que vous croyez”), directed by Safi Nebbou based on a book by Camille Laurens, but the trouble is that the woman Binoche depicts is an obnoxious, self-centered, messed up individual who can be destructive in her narcissism, which makes the film ultimately distasteful.

The plot spins from Binoche as Claire Millaud, a philosophy professor seeking help from a new psychiatrist (Nicole Garcia), who has replaced the one previously treating her. Claire is deeply upset at the breakup with her younger boyfriend.

In an effort to find a new relationship, Claire, pretending to be Clara, goes on the internet. We hear a lot about men on the internet lying about themselves in an effort to attract women. This time it is the woman who does the unscrupulous lying. An innocent young man is captivated by the sexual web the fake Clara spins about herself, including using a photo of a younger woman. The texting that results gets more and more erotic, soon even evolving into phone sex.

A meeting is arranged, but when Claire spots the much younger guy, she is afraid of rejection and departs without introducing herself. She hasn’t a clue of how destructive she is being to the man smitten by her lies. The film becomes gimmicky in the plot development, including a surprising relationship that is revealed and another false story. In the end, I could hardly care about whatever might work out for Claire, who has not earned our sympathy.

“An Easy Girl” (“Une fille facile”), directed by Rebecca Zlotowski from a screenplay that she wrote with Teddy Lussi-Modeste, is a coming of age story with efficient casting, but it isn’t very compelling and grows tiresome after a while. Set in Cannes, the story focuses on Naïma, a 16-year-old played by Mina Farid.

During the summer she works at a restaurant and also rehearses for acting auditions with her young friend Dodo (Lakdhar Dridi). But things change drastically with the arrival of her cousin Sofia (Zahia Dehar), who is a bit older, dazzling to look at and flaunts her sexuality and a devil-may-care attitude, at least on the surface.

Sofia leads Naïma into temptation upon the arrival by boat of two men, art dealers, played by Nuno Lopes and Benoît Magimel. Sofia willingly has sex with one, while Naïma feels like an outsider and is titillated even though she doesn’t really feel ready for what Sofia is doing. Fortunately for Naïma, the mature guy with whom she might have a go considers her a mere child and will not take advantage of her.

Apart from some plot maneuvers, that’s about the situation and one can tire of the machinations despite some explicitness and tension created. As a plus there are intriguing scenic views of parts of Cannes to grace Zlotowski’s film.

“Deerskin” (“Le daim”) is an especially oddball tale written and directed by Quentin Dupieux. At the center is Georges (Jean Dujardin), who develops a liking for deerskin jackets and anything else made of deerskin and sets about to film himself in the skins that he collects through various ways. It comes across as a serious fetish.

With his camcorder, he captures not only the way he looks in his new acquisitions, but the victims that he assaults and even kills to get rid of ordinary non-deerskin clothing they wear. It is as if he wants to rid the world of every garment that isn’t made out his beloved deerskin.

Georges meets Denise, a young woman played by the intriguing Adèle Haenel, who hopes to become a film editor, and he dupes her into providing money for cassettes and agreeing to edit his film footage. Georges doesn’t realize it, but he has met someone even more conniving than he is. Are you ready for a film this crazy?

“One Magical Night” (“Chambre 212”), written and directed by Christoph Honoré, gains from the starring presence of Chiara Mastroianni, who is the daughter of Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve, and who remarkably resembles her late father and does honor to the acting tradition of both her parents. But oh, what a pretentious story in this attempt at sophisticated comedy.

The situation is that Maria Mortemart (Mastroianni), a law professor, has a young lover. Leaving messages on a phone is not a good idea, as her husband Richard (Benjamin Biolay) discovers the texts that reveal the relationship. A marital crisis erupts.

Maria checks into a hotel and as she mulls over her life, a cascade of relationships and entanglements parade before us to illustrate what’s going on in her head, including the appearance of her husband at various ages. It is a mélange of comic takes that are meant to illuminate Maria’s existence with all the complexities. It is all quite lightweight stuff, but at least there is Mastroianni to look at and admire and the supporting cast members to their jobs well too.

In “Spellbound” (“Les envoûtés”) director Pascal Bonitzer and co-screenwriter Agnés de Sacy update the short story “The Way It Came” by Henry James. The plot, never very convincing, concerns reports of apparitions involving the deaths of loved ones. Sara Giraudeau plays Coline, a literary critic who gets an assignment to interview Simon, a noted artist, played by Nicolas Duvauchelle, who is living a reclusive life. In his case he believes he has seen a vision of his mother’s spirit. Coline also has an artist friend who speaks of an apparition, this one of her father. What’s going on here?

Giraudeau has a most interesting face, but the character she plays is a mess and not one about whom we can much care. The painter agrees to the interview at his out-of-the-way home, and what follows are the dynamics of what’s evolving between them, the suspicions that arise and the path leading to the film’s climax. There is plenty of tension, with a dash of suspense, but one can lose patience with the characters and not be ready to buy the developments as the story spins to its conclusion.

Jessica Hendy got the gala off to a rousing start with her powerful rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl,” a prelude to opening remarks by Bob Ost, TRU executive director, and by host Suzyn Waldman, who contributed her own singing of “There Used to Be a Ball Park.”

The entertainment roster included performances by Constantine Maroulis singing “This is the Moment” from “Jekyll & Hyde;” Desi Oakley singing “Me and My Baby” from “Chicago;” Andre Catrini playing and singing “My World” from “The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit;” producer-performer Jana Robbins siniging “Come In from the Rain;” D’Jamin Bartlett performing “The Miller’s Song” from “A Little Night Music;” Conor Ryan singing “It’s Good to Be Alive” from “Desperate Measures,” a presentation by the York Theatre in which he appeared; ever-charming Nancy Anderson singing “I’ve Been Invited to a Party” from ‘The Girl Who Came to Supper,” and Allie Trimm with the zesty feminist “Men” from “Enter Laughing.”

Surprise guest Karen Akers sang “My Husband Makes Movies,” a reprise of the number that she did in the Broadway production of “Nine,” based on the film “8 ½.” A special highlight was the tribute by Richard Maltby, Jr, theater director, producer and lyricist, who also sang a specialty number with pauses to tell jokes.

The renowned lyricist and theater icon Sheldon Harnick paid tribute to Morgan, emphasizing his talent as a scenic designer as well as all he has done for theater via the York.

The award to Haley Swindal was the TRU Enterpreneur Award for successfully balancing her career as a theater, film and concert performer with a passion for producing, as well as her generous mentoring and support of so many. In accepting it Swindal stressed that support for the theater “was more important than ever.”

Morgan’s honor was TRU’S Spirit of Theater Award in celebration of his selfless dedication to musical theater. The York is celebrating its 50th year, and in his acceptance speech, Morgan, known for his amusing introduction to shows, quipped about the irony of an off-Broadway theater being celebrated on Broadway. He noted how lucky he was to have focused on musical theater and made his York connection early in his career.

There is a late 18th century period setting on an island off Brittany, when artist Marianna, played with sophistication by Noémie Merlant, is hired by an Italian countess, portrayed imperiously by Valeria Golino, to be a companion to her daughter and to secretly paint a wedding portrait of her. The daughter, Héloise, the exquisite Aèdle Haenel, after having been in a convent, is mourning the mysterious death of her sister. She does not want to get married and resents being slated to marry the man from Italy who was to wed her sister. Héloise’s mother knows she would resist the idea of sitting for a portrait.

The artist and subject arrangement is unusual. The painter is to observe Héloise during their time together but paint her in private. The essence of the film involves the slow process by which the two women get to know one another, with all the nuances of a developing friendship that becomes much more and their secret.

Their growing bond, with the painting process proceeding all along, is compelling to behold, and these two actresses become mesmerizing in their attraction for one another during their deepening private relationship. Throughout the cinematography by Claire Mathon and the production design by Thomas Grézaud are extraordinary, with all the beauty of a classic period story.

Of course, Héloise and Marianna enter into a lesbian relationship, which is filmed with loving care in its intimacy, and an audience can delight in the way in which these two women unite and express themselves to each other, all in the context of what life would have been like for many women living in that era.

The screenplay, set in the 18th century shortly before the French revolution, involves a group of noblemen gathering in a forest for debauchery with each other and with women they have acquired to abuse. The 132-minute film, with orgies enacted in unfettered detail, includes in its cast Helmut Berger, Marc Susini, Iliana Zabeth and Laura Poulvet.

Exactly what goes on? You name it. If you go on an internet porn channel, you can find a list of just about every sexual taste there is, and that is the case with “Liberté.” But the prime emphasis is on sadomasochism. There is whipping, anal licking, urinating, masturbation—keep going—with masochistic cries for more and sadists taking delight in what they are dispensing.

I began reviewing her films after I became film critic at Cue Magazine back in the 1960s. Along the way I got to meet and interview Varda, and we’d touch base during her trips to New York. I therefore had a personal take on her, and the impression she made was one of being totally dedicated and fighting to be sure that her work got sufficient distribution to play before enough audiences interested in French cinema and cinema in general.

Her film “Varda by Agnès,” coming to us in the year of her death at 90, is in one sense a farewell. But it also comes through as a summing up of her take on her professional and personal life. In it she dispenses reflections and analysis, sometimes before an audience. Of course, she also was a feminist, and that becomes clear.

There are clips from films that she made and the film is graced with evidence of her creative photographic imagery. We are also made aware of her love for filmmaker Jacques Demy, her husband who died in 1990. Anyone who is interested in Varda’s important career should be sure to see her final bow.

In “Young Ahmed,” shown in the 57th New York Film Festival prior to its commercial release, the Dardennes focus on the intense journey of 13-year-old Ahmed (Idir Ben Addi), son of a white mother (Claire Bodson) and an absent Arab father. At an impressionable age, Ahmed, who lives in a small Belgian town, falls under the influence of a local imam, Youssouf (Othmane Moumen), and becomes ultra religious and a believer in jihad.

Ahmad takes to praying five times a day, berates his mother for drinking, considers his sister slutty for the way she dresses, and adopts twisted aspects of the Muslim religion. At school he has a sympathetic teacher, Inès (Myriem Akheddiou), but refuses to shake her hand because of the doctrine that he is not supposed to touch a woman.

So far that would just present difficulties that would become annoying to others, but Ahmed takes jihad so seriously that he becomes committed to killing the teacher. After an attempt goes awry, authorities attempt to straighten Ahmed out and as part of rehabilitation effort send him to a farm.

That’s as much, perhaps more than enough, than you need to know, except that Ahmed is not amenable to rehabilitation, which further fuels the plot that takes on an element of suspense. Still, the ability of the Dardennes to give a film depth engenders a measure of sympathy for Ahmed.

“Synonyms,” with a screenplay by Lapid and Haim Lapid, focuses on Yoav (played by the interesting actor Tom Mercier), who is obnoxious and a psychological mess. He abandons Israel, where he served in the army, and, determined never to return, he tries to establish himself in Paris. He doesn’t even want to speak Hebrew anymore, and as he learns French, the director, with some clever wordplay, uses the idea of synonyms, with Yoav searching for how many words in French he can find to denounce Israel.

Yoav crashes in an apartment he manages to get into, and he awakens to find his belongings stolen. A French couple, Emile, a would-be writer played by Quentin Dolmaire, and Caroline, a musician portrayed by Louise Chevillotte, come to his rescue. We follow Yoav’s frenetic experiences, including getting a security job at the Israeli consulate, an odd choice given his anti-Israel bias. One interesting aspect there is the portrayal of a volatile Israel intelligence agent, Yaron (Uria Havik), who denounces the anti-Semitism he sees everywhere.

In another sequence Yoav takes a modeling job that turns out to be a demeaning part in a porn shoot. By the way, there as elsewhere we see Mercier as Yoav in frontal nudity. (P.S. He’s well endowed.)

Yoav clearly needs psychological help to pull him out of the alienation he consistently feels and the desperation that develops as the plot evolves. Mercier is a dynamic actor with plenty of charisma, and I would like to see him in future roles. But the character of Yoav is more annoying than intriguing. At one point his father (Yehuda Almagor) comes from Israel to plead with him to return home, but Yoav treats him coldly.`

“Synonyms” has received praise, I must report, including winning the Golden Bear award at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. The film does contain creative cinematography, smart remarks, sensuality, the impression made by leading man Mercier and lively scenes reflecting Yoav’s adventures as he struggles in vain to become Parisian. Perhaps those elements are what entice and impress fans of the film.

Cast as the warring pair are Charlie, played by Adam Driver, and Nicole, portrayed by Scarlett Johansson, and since they are at the top of their acting game here, the film has a built-in compelling edge. Baumbach’s screenplay is savvy, as is his direction, although there is a point during the legal entanglements at which the film seems to grind on too long Yet the legal details are what heighten the fascination with the story.

Charlie and Nicole, married ten years, have an eight-year-old son, Henry (Azhy Robertson). Charlie is directing a New York Theater company that is close to his heart. Nicole, who is from Los Angeles, has been his leading actress and has moved to New York to marry him. There have been all the earmarks of a couple getting on well, but geography intrudes.

Nicole is given the opportunity to star in a pilot for what could become a hit television show. It is her opportunity for a big break and they move to Los Angeles, a change that is supposed to be temporary. But Charlie’s interests are rooted in New York and he finds himself commuting. Henry is enrolled in school in Los Angeles. Differences become irreconcilable and there is a decision to divorce. The intention is to work everything out amicably. Good luck.

Charlie gets a low-key, homespun lawyer, nicely played by Alan Alda, who recommends settling and avoiding a costly court battle. But Nicole hires Nora Fanshaw, flamboyantly played by the excellent Laura Dern, a hot-shot killer lawyer with smarts and one who goes for the jugular. This compels Charlie to engage Jay, a take-no-prisoners lawyer sharply portrayed by Ray Liotta.

All legal hell breaks loose, with Nora wanting the case tried in Los Angeles, where Nicole would have the advantage and Jay wanting it tried in New York. In addition to financial issues escalating, Nicole wants custody of Henry. When Nicole and Charlie meet to try to settle things between them, invective pours out at each other in a very ugly scene.

The mechanics of the legal fight are intriguing as they provide insights into how divorces play out in court, and what effect they have on the participants. Nora sees her role as fighting for the rights of women as part of the battle.

“Beanpole,” a most unusual Russian film directed by Kantemir Balagov, take us to Lennigrad after World War II, and surveys ways in which the war affected two women. They are played by actresses new to the screen, Viktoria Miroshnichenko and Vasilisa Perelygina. The acting rules the day in this film, although the story of what is happening to the women can seem like a stretch at times. Yet the overall vision, creativity and emotional upheaval in “Beanpole” make it special.

“First Cow,” directed by Kelly Reichardt, is set in America’s Pacific Northwest in the early 1800s. Two men seeking their fortune team up and find a way to exploit a situation, but crime will out and they run into trouble. Early on there is a shot of the remains of two people. And the plot, often with humor, but ultimately deadly serious, tells how those bones got there. While somewhat far-fetched, “First Cow” features good acting and effective scenery.

“Fire Will Come,” directed by Oliver Laxe, takes place in Spain and focuses on the character Amador, who has been released from prison after having sentenced in connection with arson. He is trying to get his life together in his village, although he is looked upon with distain by others in the area. When a nasty fire breaks out, guess who will be suspected?

There is excitement and bonding in “Bacurau,” directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Julian Dornelles and set in a area deep in Brazil. A community is threatened by armed mercenaries linked to politicians and the marauders try to take over a village. But the locals cleverly come together to fight the intruders, and the result is an uplifting film exalting what people can accomplish when unified and brave.

“Martin Eden,” directed by Pietri Marcello, is based on the 1909 novel by Jack London with a screenplay written by Marcello and Maurizio Braucci. The film, now transposed to Naples, explores the ambitions, career and life of Eden, played by Luca Marinelli, who longs to become a writer. There are many impressive sequences in the course of his quest, including with the upper class university student he hopes to marry. The film’s style is that of a romantic saga that unfolds broadly, sometimes with a bit of tedium, but mainly as an involving story.

A shady operator is scrutinized in “The Moneychanger,” a drama from Uruguay by director Federico Veiroj. The character, Humberto Brause, is the very definition of sleaze. Played by Daniel Hendler, Brause will move money about via crooked investing no matter whom he has to betray. The film has its humorous aspects too, but it is basically a study of corruption.

A different kind of corruption is depicted in “The Traitor,” a return to the screen by noted director Marco Bellocchio. The film is based on real-life case of Tommaso Buscetta, who was a bigwig in the Italian Mafa in Sicily, but in the 1980s turned against the Mafia to become an informer for the authorities. Bellocchio has cast Pierfrancesco Favino in the juicy role in this realistic drama.

The most noteworthy aspect of “Vitaline Varela” from Portugal is its boredom. Directed by Pedro Costa, it is a painfully slow observance of what happens when a woman from Cape Verde returns to attend her husband’s funeral after a long estrangement from him. The actress playing the title role is, as in the title, Vitalina Varela.

Espionage and terrorism go together in “Wasp Network,” director Olivier Assayas’s complicated tale about anti-Castro groups carrying out attacks in Cuba. But they are also being infiltrated in a story about betrayal and loyalties that tensely and emotionally unfolds. Apart from the various male actors in the saga, the film gains from the presence of always-intriguing Penélope Cruz. Credibility problems sometimes arise, but “Wasp Network” commands one’s attention.

How’s your whistling ability? You may feel like trying to perfect it after seeing Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu’s “The Whistlers,” a crime film with the very odd plot involving the need for a detective in Bucharest to learn a secret tribal language that consists of whistling. P.S. The guy is susceptible to corruption. The story is full of intrigue and action, but is not always believable.

In “The Wild Goose Lake” Chinese director Diao Yinan, who also wrote the screenplay, has concocted a story around a small-time mob boss, played by Hu Ge, who unintentionally kills a cop. Now he is a hunted man desperately trying to stay alive. The film has a fascinating noir look and ambiance as we follow the plotline and admire the cast.