British actress Florence Pugh is one of the promising actresses of the new generation. At the age of 25, she has already been nominated for an Oscar and has everything to be the new Black Widow in theaters after being introduced in the most recent Marvel Studios film.
She’s one of the most versatile names in cinema today. After all, even though she is young and has a short career, she can quickly move between different styles and genres.
It is possible to find in her filmography epoch dramas, romances, experimental horror films, and even an action film with Liam Neeson. Not to mention the interesting Lady Macbeth, which opened doors for Pugh. Pugh has been acting since 2014 when she made her debut in The Falling and has also garnered attention in 2019’s horror Midsommar.
Below is a selection of the best films in Pugh’s career.
The Falling (2014)
The first film starring Pugh was The Falling, released in 2014. The plot is set in England in the late 1960s at a school for girls. There, Abbie (Pugh) and Lydia (Maisie Williams) are great friends – until tragedy strikes the school and a mysterious fainting epidemic takes over, threatening the stability of all the students and the strict rules imposed on them.
In addition to all of Pugh’s talent, it’s also worth seeing her interaction with Williams, known as Arya from Game of Thrones. At Rotten Tomatoes, the film has 73% critical approval.
Lady Macbeth (2016)
Two years later, Pugh stars in Lady Macbeth, the classic drama about the story of Katherine and her loveless marriage to Boris Macbeth. Gradually, Katherine begins to discover a strong desire within herself and starts having an affair with an estate worker.
The feature is directed by William Oldroyd, in one of his only cinematic works, and has an 88% critical approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
The Commuter (2018)
This is not one of the films in which Pugh has a leading role, but it is worth mentioning on the list. The film, released in 2018, is centered on Michael (Liam Neeson), a train passenger and a former policeman who makes a living as an insurance salesman but finds himself involved in a criminal conspiracy inside a train full of passengers.
He receives a mysterious proposition from Joanna (Vera Farmiga): find a lost passenger before the last stop. The movie focused on action and has Pugh playing Gwen, a young passenger suspected of being the wanted person.
The Commuter has only a 55% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is interesting for those who want to know more about Pugh’s career.
Midsommar (2019)
Up to this point, Florence Pugh was building a solid career in Hollywood, but it was with Midsommar that her talent reached another level. The film, written and directed by Ari Aster, follows a group of friends who travel to Sweden to attend the Midsommar summer festival. But, unfortunately, what had everything to be a quiet weekend turns into a frightening experience filled with bizarre rituals.
Midsommar, set in the folk horror subgenre, shows us a world in which horror is not only visual violence (which is quite considerable) but in the challenges it poses to our concepts of relationship, love, life, and death. Visually it is spectacular, and Pugh’s performance has consolidated her as a rising star.
Pugh plays Dani, who has been through a personal tragedy and sees the trip as an opportunity to feel better and the first to want to leave when everything starts to go wrong. At Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 83% approval rating from critics.
Fighting With My Family (2019)
How about Florence Pugh alongside The Rock? In Fighting With My Family, the actress plays Saraya, a young girl who dreams of fighting in the WWE but must convince her parents that this is her dream and must have a tough training routine. It’s interesting to see Pugh in a lighter role, different from the dramas period for which she is best known.
The film benefits from Pugh’s charisma and Stephen Merchant’s playful blend of sentimentality, wry humor, and genuine cuteness. This family will definitely steal your heart and make you laugh in the process.
In addition, the movie is inspired by the true story of the wrestler Paige, who joined the WWE in 2011. At Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 93% critical approval rating.
Little Women (2019)
Before starring in Black Widow, Florence Pugh earned her first Academy Award nomination (for Supporting Actress) with Little Women, inspired by the book by Louisa May Alcott. The plot focuses on the lives of the four March sisters and how they try to find their place in the world.
Pugh plays Amy March, one of the four sisters in the March family, a young woman with a strong personality and a talent for the arts who live a bucolic routine while waiting for their father to return from war. The result is a film full of soul, romance, lightness, and great performances, in a story that moves us from the small facts of everyday life.
The new version of Little Women stood out by uniting a great cast, including Saoirse Ronan as Jo, Emma Watson as Meg, Eliza Scanlen as Beth, and Timotheé Chalamet as Laurie. The film has no less than 95% approval from critics at Rotten Tomatoes.
