The Irishman is San Diego Film Critics Society's Best Picture of 2019

Harvey Keitel and Joe Pesci in The Irishman

If there are only two routes down which critics groups seem willing to go this season, there was only one for the San Diego Film Critics Society. Picking Parasite for Best Picture of the year was out of the question for this lot after they failed to nominate it there (some might say surprisingly, but then they've never had great form). Picking The Irishman, then, was all but inevitable, so that they did, also awarding Joe Pesci Supporting Actor.

Even that, however, was in a tie - oddly, the early stages of this year's awards race are shaping up to show slim pickings for the top-tier contenders, with the second-tier bunch proving more successful outside of Best Picture: Marriage Story, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood and Uncut Gems all win here. It's a funny setup, and one that will take weeks, if not months more, to settle itself into some kind of identifiable groove...

Best Picture

THE IRISHMAN

Runner-up: Marriage Story

Best Director

BENNY SAFDIE AND JOSH SAFDIE (UNCUT GEMS)

Runner-up: Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story)

Best Actress

LUPITA NYONG'O (US)

Runner-up: Renee Zellweger (Judy)

Best Actor

ADAM DRIVER (MARRIAGE STORY)

JOAQUIN PHOENIX (JOKER)

Best Supporting Actress

ZHAO SHU ZHEN (THE FAREWELL)

Runner-up: Laura Dern (Marriage Story)

Best Supporting Actor

JOE PESCI (THE IRISHMAN)

BRAD PITT (ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD)

Best Original Screenplay

NOAH BAUMBACH (MARRIAGE STORY)

Runner-up: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems)

Best Adapted Screenplay

J. C. LEE AND JULIUS ONAH (LUCE)

Runner-up: Steven Zaillian (The Irishman)

Best Cinematography

JARIN BLASCHKE (THE LIGHTHOUSE)

Runner-up: Roger Deakins (1917)

Best Editing

ANDREW BUCKLAND, MICHAEL MCCUSKER AND DIRK WESTERVELDT (FORD V. FERRARI)

Runner-up: Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems)

Best Production Design

DENNIS GASSNER (1917)

Runner-up: Jess Gonchor (Little Women)

Best Costume Design

RUTH E. CARTER (DOLEMITE IS MY NAME)

Runner-up: Anna Robbins (Downton Abbey)

Best Visual Effects

AD ASTRA

Runner-up: 1917

Best Use of Music

ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD

Runner-up: Jojo Rabbit

Best Ensemble

KNIVES OUT

Runner-up: The Irishman

Best Animated Film

I LOST MY BODY

Runner-up: Toy Story 4

Best Documentary

LOVE, ANTOSHA

Runner-up: One Child Nation

Best Foreign-Language Film

PARASITE

Runner-up: Transit

Best Breakthrough Artist

FLORENCE PUGH (LITTLE WOMEN / MIDSOMMAR)

Runner-up: Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Luce / Waves)

Best Comedic Performance

WESLEY SNIPES (DOLEMITE IS MY NAME)

Runner-up: Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit)

Image credit: MovieStillsDB