Disclaimer: may contain spoilers from the mentioned films

From the moment Florence Pugh debuted in the 2014 film “The Falling,” audiences have been captivated by her masterful acting. The English actress often portrays beautifully complex figures, contributing to her breathtaking performances. Pugh’s international breakthrough came in 2019, with three films: Little Women, Midsommar and Fighting with My Family. Since then, her roles have gained recognition through both awards and media presence. With her most recent role in the 2025 Marvel film “Thunderbolts*” alongside Sebastian Stan, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and more, Pugh has come back into the spotlight, reinvigorating interest in her incredible performances in past films. Factoring in the past 10 years, the films in this list compile some of the best and most popular works on Pugh’s resume.

On Christmas day of 2019, the seventh adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” swept through theaters across the country. As watchers watch Amy March’s (Pugh) first scene in a carriage passing by Laurie Laurence (Timothée Chalamet), audiences are quickly engulfed into a story of sisterhood, love triangles and family.

Once seen as simply a next-door neighbor, the March sisters grow close to Laurie, causing each of them to form a unique bond with him. Amy is often seen as the annoying little sister in the bigger picture of Laurie and Jo March’s (Saoirse Ronan) relationship. The two’s strong connection overpowers Amy’s small crush on Laurie, leading Laurie to make a heartfelt love confession to Jo which is quickly shot down. As the two grow apart following the confession, both physically and emotionally, Laurie and Amy reinvigorate their friendship — and later romance — with each other after the death of the March’s third sister, Beth. Is Amy simply second place to Jo? Or was it her all along? The story follows the nuance between the two relationships and the strain it places on the family.

Regarded as one of Pugh’s best performances, her role as Amy gained a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 2020 Academy Awards. Though she lost to Laura Dern’s performance in “Marriage Story,” many fans and critics note that Pugh had the best supporting role of the year and deserved the award. To this day, the film has had the biggest impact on Pugh’s career, accredited to many of her recent and upcoming roles as well.

Midsommar, released on July 3, 2019, is a psychological horror film directed by Ari Aster. Spanning over a midsummer event in Sweden, the film’s bright colors and sunny cinematography disguise the sinister undertones of the event. 

The film follows Dani (Pugh), a New York University (NYU) student whose entire family died after an incident enacted by her bipolar sister. To take her mind off the tragedy, Dani’s boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), invites her on a trip to his friend’s Swedish commune celebration of the summer. The two have an obviously strained relationship as the film has multiple scenes of Christian’s friends, who share a vital role in the film, telling him to break up with Dani or expressing their dislike for her. Despite their disdain, the group flies to rural Sweden as the summer kicks off. Within the first few days, the group finds that their dream-like summer has been shattered with the hard truths that lie under the commune’s values. Mysterious disappearances and ritualistic deaths enact a frenzy of emotions, exposing that the “traditional” practices of the commune reflect a cult of death and deception. Though escaping seems like the likely option, the film reveals how popular Dani becomes amongst the group as the “May Queen,” showing her descent from fear to acceptance. 

This film can be confusing at times, disgusting at others, but is altogether a beautiful mesh of acting and cinematography. Through plot twists, conflicts and gore, the story is so visually striking, that it’s difficult to look away. 

Don’t Worry Darling, a psychological thriller directed by Olivia Wilde, follows the picturesque community of Victory, modeled after sunny Palm Springs, Calif. Set in the 1950s, the story opens with a sequence revealing the stereotypical American lifestyle of the husbands going off to work while the wives stay home to cook and clean. Pugh plays the newest wife in the community, Alice Champion. When her husband, Jack Champion (Harry Styles), begins hiding secrets and the women in her neighborhood start acting differently, Alice is torn between accepting the strange conditions of her “perfect” life or finding a way out.

Due to Styles’ involvement, this film had incredibly high expectations. However, after its release, many felt disappointed due to discrepancies in the plot, a hasty ending and, perhaps the most disappointing of all, Styles’ acting. While these issues can all be argued for, Pugh’s incredible performance remains. Audiences went into the film for the star-studded cast and intriguing story, but came out with a resolidified love for Pugh’s acting and commitment to each and every one of her roles.

Released on Oct. 11, 2024, “We Live in Time” entered theaters in a limited release, quickly rising in anticipated popularity with teary-eyed fans. The film opens with Almut (Pugh) on a morning run, coming home to find Tobias (Andrew Garfield) in bed. The quiet intro, paired with the English countryside, perfectly sets up the film as sorrowful yet uniquely beautiful.

“We Live in Time” jumps around three distinct times in the couple’s lives: before their meeting, when they begin dating and with their daughter in the present. The first time period, prior to their meeting, primarily follows Tobias’ perspective. As a newly divorced man, he has a slightly fragile shell, making him more open to Almut entering his life. The film’s beautiful portrayal of their relationship is what makes it noteworthy. Tobias and Almut can be seen growing with each other, despite being considered “older” or past a dating age. The film’s climax occurs when Almut discovers she has stage three ovarian cancer, which is later revealed to be the second time this has happened to her. Yet this time, Almut decides to live the proposed last months of her life to the fullest, rather than go through chemotherapy with the risk of it not working yet again. 

As the most recent work in Pugh’s discography, this film exceeded many expectations through the exceptional cinematography, dialogue and the emotional performances given by both Pugh and Garfield. While many fans and critics felt as though the film’s plot was cliche, the human relationships portrayed within the film is what makes it unique. The chemistry and raw emotions between Pugh and Garfield is unmatched by a simple romance film.