This sensitive if contrived romantic drama has shades of Richard Curtis and is carried along by the strength of its lead performances

There are endearing, intelligent and forthright performances here from Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, who have a tender chemistry in this sensitive if, for me, contrived romantic drama from screenwriter Nick Payne and director John Crowley. It has won golden opinions and I wished I liked it more, having found it supremely watchable while not quite believing in any of it for a single moment.

You might call it One Day on shuffle; we see a relationship of two thirtysomethings with episodes in their lives shown out of order, though not exactly at random – the final scene is still its narrative climax. It shows the joys and heartaches of Tobias (Garfield) and Almut (Pugh) and their infant daughter Ella (Grace Delaney). Tobias is a good-tempered guy who’s an executive at the Weetabix breakfast cereal corporation; after some humorous establishing scenes, his quirky-ordinary job is pretty much forgotten about. The more important career is unquestionably Almut’s. She is a brilliant chef and restaurateur (and former ice-skating champ) specialising in Anglo-Bavarian fusion cuisine; her dedication to the job causing complicated feelings about parenthood. A terrible crisis and a fundamental, existential choice mean that they have to look hard at their lives and what their love for each other means.