I have never really been a ‘film’ person. Or an ‘actor’ person. Normally, I’m the person looking at the screen filled with Bill Nighy’s face and asking ‘What’s that actor’s name, again?’ However, recently, my imagination has become somewhat enthralled by one actor in particular. I think the first film I saw was ‘Midsommar’, and the second ‘Oppenheimer’. Florence Pugh’s performances in both of these made me want to see more, and so I did.
Over the last few months, I, alongside one or two trusty companions, have ventured through much of Pugh’s acting catalogue. This article is the product of months of hard work, duvets, heated blankets, and chocolate. If you would like to know more about the various factors which contributed towards this ranking - whether it was based on Pugh’s characterisation, her consistency, the demands of the role, the film as a whole - then your answer is that it was occasionally one of these things, sometimes another, and then all of them together. There is no consistency, science, or method. But it just feels right. And occasionally, wrong.
Olaf de Fleur Johannesson, Malevolent (2018)
This was an interesting one to watch. I believe the sixth instalment of Pugh we treated ourselves to. Most of the feedback I got from this film when I told people that we had watched it went like:
- Oh, I didn’t realise she was in that, too?
- Too?
- With Angelina Jolie!
Unfortunately there are no Anj-Jo appearances in this one. Following Angela’s (Pugh), and her brother’s (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) ghost-hunting sham business, the plot gets interesting when these two Americans, who have somehow ended up in Scotland (I can’t remember, and simply don’t care how or why), visit Mrs. Green’s (Celia Imrie) mansion.
The film is, unfortunately, not very good, and not even that funny. It shows commitment for true Pugh fans (Pughsies?), but I would not recommend watching on many other grounds. Pugh’s performance, although better than most of the rest of the cast, is not yet as impressive as it is in the rest of these films, and the other actors seem to have received some bad news just before filming began.
Get excited when: You hear talk of a former orphanage, and loose floorboards.
Get scared when: This film is, surprisingly, not that scary.
Tip from the top: Turn subtitles off unless you want to read [sewing lips].
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer (2023)
The fact that this film won seven (seven) Oscars is perhaps not that surprising when you consider that the only other movie considered to be a true contender for the top awards was Greta Gerwig’s worst film to date (did I say there were going to be some hot takes in this article?) Unfortunately, in line with this ranking’s unpredictable and unfathomable criteria, Nolan’s bomby manfest comes in seventh (alongside its seventh Oscar) owing to its failure to give FP some more screen time. Pugh’s character of Jean Tatlock gets less time in this piece than she deserved. Putting her on the billboards and on the press tour felt approximate to splashing Zendaya’s face all over the promotion for Dune 1: a senseless grab for viewers.
I actually really enjoyed this film, although I admit that as well as the stunning cinematography and compelling storytelling, as well as an enthralling subject matter and themes, sitting next to a very loud Italian friend in a small Calais cinema compounded my enjoyment tenfold. But, as I have said, about five minutes of Pugh time doesn’t do it for me. Naughty Nolan.
Get excited when: Florence Pugh appears on screen.
Get scared when: She leaves after only five minutes.
Tip from the top: I’d recommend sweet and salty popcorn as your snack for this one.
William Oldroyd, Lady Macbeth (2017)
Based off a novella by Nikolai Leskov (who knew?!), this is a lesser known Pugh film, for the true fans here. The story tells of a young Katherine’s (FP’s) unhappy marriage to an older man, and her fiery and dramatic affair with a young stablehand (Cosmo Jarvis). It’s passionate, it’s dramatic, it’s scarier than ‘Malevolent’. It feels like you’re watching a BBC film, take that how you will.
From this film on, I would genuinely recommend watching for Pugh’s performances (Pughformances?), as she plays a character with true conviction and intrigue, and as you watch the action unfold, you have to really ask yourself to keep watching FP’s character continue down the path she’s put herself on. I’m not sure how I did. You don’t like her by the end and you’re not supposed to. But I did respect her by the end. Comments below.
Get excited when: Katherine gets creative with her excuses for her husband.
Get scared when: Infanticide.
Tip from the top: This one gets a little steamy at points, 12A.
Sebastián Lelio, The Wonder (2022)
This film is extremely, extremely moody. The central premise is that a child, Anna (Kíla Lord Cassidy), in rural Ireland, in the middle of a famine (1862), is not eating. And yet surviving. The local church authorities want her declared a miracle, and Elizabeth Wright (FP) is sent alongside a nun to investigate. Expect a wary Pugh, tough parenting, and an absolutely gorgeous Irish landscape.
Pugh plays her role with restraint and conviction. The chemistry between her and Cassidy feels natural and unforced, and you really feel Pugh’s frustration with what she sees as an exploitative ploy. It’s not exactly gripping, but it’s certainly squeezing (?) It’s hard not to buy into it when Pugh kneels alongside Anna, begging that she has not given into the emptiness of her hunger. This is an unsung gem, more worthy than your usual Centineo Netflix fare.
Get excited when: Pugh gets short with the Church.
Get scared when: Pugh gets short with you; coming in at 5’3, I wouldn’t put it past her.
Tip from the top: This one went really well with M&S’s chocolate-covered custard creams.
Ari Aster, Midsommar (2019)
Take a moment to enjoy Aster’s cinematography here:
A truly harrowing film, one of Pugh’s most well-known, and simultaneously one of her most striking and disturbing performances. Dani’s (FP) life before her and her boyfriend (Jack Reynor) decide to fly off to visit a friend’s hometown midsummer celebrations is already traumatic, having lost her entire family to a troubled sister’s suicide. The ensuing cultic ritualism, chaotic flower-strewn dancing, and heart-fragmenting breakdown/meltdown are truly difficult to watch, and yet perfectly acted at every turn by Pugh. Her performance as an under-appreciated partner, turned into May Queen centre-of-attention, no longer high on mushrooms but definitely infected with some feverish atmosphere, is simply unforgettable and unmissable. God - how is this only at number 4?! Who designed this system?
Get excited when: Pugh gets in that flower dress. Shit’s about to go down.
Get scared when: THE CLIFF! THE CLIFF! LOOK AWAY.
Tip from the top: DON’T WATCH WHAT HAPPENS ON TOP (AND AT THE BOTTOM) OF THAT CLIFF.
Greta Gerwig, Little Women (2019)
Do you remember what I said when ‘Barbie’ was Gerwig’s worst film to date? Well, look at this gem, based off Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel. Second only to ‘Ladybird’ in the director’s repertoire, it’s a true tour-de-force from Gerwig, and I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. Pugh’s performance here has been analysed and pulled apart in countless corners of the internet, so there’s no point me recalling that moment when she turns to Chalamet asking him not to be mean, or the extremely moving moments following Beth’s (Eliza Scanlen) death, moments in which Pugh, Watson, Ronan, and Dern are criminally potent.
I loved this film. So much. I want a spin-off for each of the characters, and retrospective Oscars for each performance here. Take some off ‘Oppenheimer’, they got more than enough.
Get excited when: Pugh’s bottom lip starts to wobble.
Get scared when: Your lip starts to wobble.
Tip from the top: Block out double the time you’d expect to need for this one. You’ll want to watch it all over again once you’ve finished.
Olivia Wilde, Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
A lot of people are going to disagree with this decision. As I say - this list is completely estranged from any type of criteria. I am not completely sure what they are. But there you go, the algorithm has placed Olivia Wilde’s thriller-cum-sci-fi-cum-mystery in second place. And, to be honest, I think the reason it’s ended up here is not hard to suss: Pugh’s performance is really great. Enamoured, horrified, and then determined, the film hangs on its protagonist’s emotional development.
Also - I think Harry Styles is actually okay (shocking?)! Yes, he pales in comparison to FP, and yes, he does look slightly child-throwing-a-strop when he doesn’t get his own way: but isn’t that kind of how his incel, depraved character would react, too? The world Wilde has created is gorgeously moulded, the colour palette of the shots is beautiful, and the story-line seems original and pertinent.
Is it the best film on this list? Maybe not, but FP’s performance, and I cannot repeat this enough, makes it worth it and then some. The moment when KiKi Layne’s Margaret is ignored, exiled, and then allowed to slowly reach the point beyond return, and Alice’s (FP) slow realisation of just how right she was is devastating and seems to speak to the tendency we have to stop listening to people just when they need it most, just when their world, and everything they believe, has lost touch with our reality. And yet, what if our reality isn’t what we believe it to be? I’m not endorsing some sort of conspiracy-driven morality, but this film’s ability to at once outline the dangers in delusional incel propaganda, and at the same time to point to the importance of listening to those who have lost touch with us, is important and moving.
Get excited when: Pugh gets behind the wheel.
Get scared when: Harry starts dancing on stage.
Tip from the top: We went for two cadbury bars for this one: wholenut and daim - top rate.
Zach Braff, A Good Person (2023)
A film I have put in the top position not simply because it’s one you probably haven’t seen and won’t watch. Braff’s 2023 drama tells a tale we’re all familiar with; I read recently that every addiction narrative is doomed to tell the same story revolving around sobriety, relapses, collapsing relationships, and frustrated families. And that is what you get in this film. However, the tenderness that Pugh brings to the role, Morgan Freeman’s relationship with her, and the premise of her dive into addiction are gripping and wrenching.
Also, Florence Pugh’s singing and songwriting in this film is surprisingly emotional, and she proves herself to be rather talented in this department as well. I would really recommend watching - I’ll watch it again with you if you like.
Get excited when: Florence gets behind those keys.
Get scared when: Florence gets behind the wheel (see what I did there?)
Tip from the top: Text me after you’ve watched this one.