Anna Karenina, in which she starred as the title character. She deemed this collaboration the most important of her career. Knightley viewed that her character's complex "moral culpability" was in question, but attracted compassion. Knightley received positive reviews for her performance, prompting early Oscar buzz. Batsy Sharky of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Knightley "puts hearts and anguish on the line in trying to bring an emotional reality". The 2013 Toronto International Film Festival saw the premiere of Knightley's first musical film Begin Again with Mark Ruffalo. Directed by John Carney, the film had its theatrical release in 2014. The Guardian found Knightley and Ruffalo to be "nicely natural as the increasingly idealistic musos". Carney later repeatedly criticised Knightley's performance in the film, saying she was not convincing enough in portraying a singer-songwriter and derogatorily referred to her as a "model". He later apologised to her via Twitter for his comments. Knightley later remarked that music "never sinks in" for her, and she is more interested in books and drama. Later that year, she appeared in Karl Lagerfeld's short period film Once Upon a Time... 2014–present: Biographical and political roles In July 2014, Knightley stated that she had reached the end of the first stage of her career, and wished to depart from "neurotic" roles. 2014 began for Knightley with the spy thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, the fifth instalment in the film series, alongside Chris Pine. She portrayed Dr. Cathy Muller, Ryan's eventual wife. Knightley sought to do a lighter film than her previous work, looked forward to working with director Kenneth Branagh. The film received mixed critical reviews nonetheless strong box-office response. Knightley's next film Laggies, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. A romantic comedy also starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Sam Rockwell, the film follows the life of Megan, played by Knightley, a 28-year-old overeducated underachiever going through a quarter-life crisis. Knightley empathised with her character's delayed maturity and appreciated the film's telling from a female perspective. Laggies opened to mostly positive reviews from critics, with Knightley's performance praised by critics. Inkoo Kaang of TheWrap referred to her as a "loose-limbed revelation" and lauded her "delightfully uncouth" performance. The film was followed by her appearance in Morten Tyldum's historical drama The Imitation Game, a film based on the life of British mathematician Alan Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Knightley portrayed cryptanalyst and numismatist Joan Clarke,