An up-and-coming chef and a recent divorcée find their lives forever changed when a chance encounter brings them together in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.
Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are a loving couple but are put through the wringer when Almut is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Garfield and Pugh are both acclaimed and fairly famous actors now due to their superhero roles and Oscar nominations. I am a fan of both actors, and they do have good chemistry together in this film, but it took me some time to get into their love story.
This film is told in a non-linear fashion over a decade. For example, we see the couple with their young daughter and then return to their early days when they argue about having kids. I could follow the timeline, but I thought this hindered the film, as the drama falls flat in these past sequences when we see them as a successful couple in the present until Almut’s cancer returns.
This couple has very cute moments. They have a funny yet violent meet-cute where Almut hits Tobias with her car. There’s also a funny elongated labor sequence where Tobias struggles to drive to the hospital, only to get sent back. Then they get stuck in traffic and, when it’s really time, have no other option than to give birth in a gas station bathroom. This is where the love story finally worked the best for me.
Overall, neither of these characters feels real enough to me. Almut is exceptionally talented at many things. She is a renounced chef and was a prominent figure skater, and this film very much focuses on her accomplishments. On the other hand, Tobias embodies the perfect father and husband. He doesn’t have much depth outside of that. This is where I felt the most frustration with the film.
Almut is stuck between career and family and struggles to balance both with her diagnosis. Tobias and their daughter ultimately take a back seat so Almut can accomplish her goals before time runs out. I found her career ambitions valid but was puzzled as to why she tried to hide them from Tobias other than the need to create more conflict in this film. Also, I felt that we never really got to see her come to terms with her diagnosis and what she feels about it.
I will say this film is not as much of a tearjerker as I thought it would be. There was one scene where I got misty-eyed, but I never actually cried, and that’s not too hard for me to do. You do feel for Almut once she battles cancer, but she is resilient. She also has a very supportive partner, so you never see her lacking in anything other than her health. Again, I would say Garfield and Pugh’s chemistry ultimately saves this film, but their love story is a bit too cliché for my taste.
In Theaters Friday, October 18th
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