This is an eye-opening marvel: an absolutely perfect marriage of shrewd writing, skilled direction and transcendent performances.
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| Still blissed out after their first night together, Tobias (Andrew Garfield) and Almut (Florence Pugh) pause on their respective sides of her closed apartment door, and quietly contemplate what might come next. |
Actually, “romantic drama” is too simple a descriptor. Director John Crowley and scripter Nick Payne have concocted a captivating experience that is equal parts drama, comedy, tragedy and several other elements so intricately interwoven, that the sum is far greater than its marvelous parts.
All brought to solemn, cheerful, cute, catastrophic and intensely intimate life by stars Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield.
We meet Britishers Almut (Pugh) and Tobias (Garfield) as they confront a life-altering decision. She has an immediate response that would involve serious consequences; he’s more cautious and uncertain. These contrasting reactions are, we soon will learn, what initially — and continuously — defines their relationship.
They drive home in silence, but before we can process what just occurred, we’re yanked into Tobias’ life at another point in time: alone in a hotel room, faced with documents that must be signed. The immediate uncertainty — past or future? — establishes the means by which Crowley and Payne present this saga: as snapshots from a relationship that has spanned a decade, and (we soon realize) are being remembered in the present day.
To quote the film’s production notes, this is how we experience love: “in fits and starts, outside linear logic, in fleeting but indelible moments that are gorgeous, funny, high anxiety, delirious, sad and revelatory ... sometimes all at once.”
(Honestly, I couldn’t have said it better.)
I’ve generally not be impressed by films that capriciously bounce back and forth through time, like a frightened jackrabbit; the technique can be frustrating and annoying, and often doesn’t serve the story being told.
Crowley and Payne, however, pull it off with elegance.
When Tobias and Almut first meet, he’s the ultimate methodical, list-making wonk, climbing the corporate ladder at the Weetabix cereal and snack company. She’s an accomplished chef and co-owner of one of those posh London restaurants that serves meticulously garnished tiny portions that wouldn’t satisfy a starving rat.
He knows what he wants, and pursues things with long-winded speeches that justify decisions; he wants children. She’s preternaturally multi-talented, and refuses to be pinned down ... while insisting on being granted the option of changing her mind. She doesn’t see herself with children.
He sees life and a relationships as a smooth journey, with pitfalls that can be navigated via careful planning. She’s impulsive, and wants to leave a mark on the world; to that end — with encouragement from former mentor Simon Maxson (Adam James) — she has her eyes on the Bocuse d’Or, a prestigious international cooking competition.
Tobias wears his heart on his sleeve, and is candid to a fault; this often prompts a rude — even nasty — response from Almut’s mercurial temperament.
But goodness ... the subtle manner with which Pugh and Garfield portray these complex individuals, is breathtaking. Every glance, gesture, pose and nuance speaks volumes.
Both actors have impressive résumés. I’ll never forget Garfield’s shattering performance in 2010’s Never Let Me Go, while Pugh was mesmerizing in both 2019’s Little Women and as the title character in the TV miniseries adaptation of John Le Carré’s The Little Drummer Girl.
Tobias and Almut meet under circumstances that invite comparison to a screwball comedy, although it really isn’t funny. (Except that it is.) Their subsequent first “date” is an exercise in mutual wariness, but the flirty spark of shared chemistry is palpable. Their first intimate encounter, not much later, is a joyous, giddy, giggling, breathtaking explosion of shared desire.
But this doesn’t occur until we’ve shifted into different points of relationship time, following up on the initial Big Decision, and supplemented by another. We bounce into high points, definitely not chronologically: meeting each other’s parents; progress in their respective career paths; their first big fight.
Their subsequent reconciliation is a master class in acting. Tobias impulsively crashes her gal-pal party, the only guy in the room, and nonetheless stands his ground. Garfield’s deer-in-the-headlights gaze aside, Tobias plunges into a stammering apology that also chides Almut for having been needlessly, bluntly unpleasant. Pugh’s eyes flare — an apology that comes with criticism? — but then Almut can’t help herself; the faintest trace of a smile shows that, angry or not, she’s impressed by his chutzpah.
The dark cloud running throughout, however, cannot be ignored: a heartbreaking case of What-would-you-do?
The supporting roles are equally well sculpted and played. Douglas Hodge is sublime as Tobias’ quietly doting father, Reginald; the two clearly have relied upon each other for quite some time. Lee Braithwaite is equally fine as Jade, the most trusted of Almut’s loyal kitchen staff; her impulsive gesture, toward the end of this story, will bring tears to your eyes.
(Actually, quite a lot will prompt tears. Be advised.)
That said, this story also boasts the most outrageous, hilarious and mesmerizing birthing scene ever committed to film (and I say that with 13 seasons of Call the Midwife behind me).
Bryce Dessner’s quietly spare score adds just the right touch, and editor Justine Wright deserves an Academy Award nomination for the impressively clever way all these pieces have been assembled.
When the screen faded to black, and the end credits began, I wanted to watch this film again ... right away.
That’s rare. And special.
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