The 10 best film performances of the first half of 2018

The second half of 2018 will start soon, so it is as good a time as any to reflect on the best performances in film this first half of the year that struck all the right chords for cinema and entertainment.

Rarely can a year in film be called predictable at only the halfway point of the year. It’s still months before Oscar season and we have another 6 months of potential classics (or duds) to look forward to. But before we look forward, it doesn’t hurt to take a look back at the first half of 2018 in cinema and scope out the performances that truly left their mark, whether on a national scale or a low key indie environment.

The 10 best film performances of the year’s first half is, of course, solely based on one writer’s specific opinion, but for this list, it was important to scope out the standouts in the year’s already stellar filmography. Performances that were eager to inspire, frighten, and pull out generally strong reactions were a must for the list.

As expected, there are many others with a great amount of work and effort put in that didn’t make it simply due to the 10 limit. But these 10 performances are sure to inspire a wave of reactions ranging from “Oh yeah!” to “Who in the world is that?” There may be varying levels of appeal and recognizable stars here, but all of them can boast one of the best film performances of the first half of 2018.