Dreamy cereal company employee Tobias (Andrew Garfield) and ambitious skater-turned-chef Almut (Florence Pugh) share a turbulent romance that is cut short by Almut’s late-stage cancer diagnosis. Snapshots of their relationship play out in a non-linear storyline that celebrates the highs and lows of living and loving in time.
A fuzzy tearjerker with performances that defy cliches. On paper, We Live in Time would sound like yet another disease-struck romance that forcefully pulls on your heartstrings as one of the lovers approaches their deathbed. Be it in The Fault in Our Stars or Me Before You, we’ve seen the same version of the story play out in many romantic dramas. But despite its seemingly formulaic setting, We Live in Time is a delightfully tender exploration of not just modern love but also parenting, professional ambition, and a bucket list style of living life by the minute. Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh are in their A-game, sharing effortless chemistry whether they’re making love on a futon mattress or holding hands while a doctor gives them the bad news. Keep the tissues handy, especially in scenes where lovers-turned-parents raise their daughter. Either your eyes will wrinkle up like Garfield, or you will need a corner to hold in your tears like Pugh.
The good, the bad, and the ugly of loving and living together. Director John Crowley has dabbled in more original narratives with past films like Boy A (again with Garfield) and the Saoirse Ronan-starred Brooklyn, but over here, he’s in full control of the emotions. Nothing is repressed, and the expository dialogues are unabashedly sappy, yet the organic storytelling and the top-notch performances make We Live in Time a moving human story for the ages. Even when some scenes might give you the idea of a Hallmark fairy tale, Nick Payne’s non-linear script pulls the rug under your feet and throws you into a more intense exchange between the lovers. Often, movies that chart out an entire relationship forget to capture the evolution of major life decisions, be it popping a wedding ring or raising a child. The non-linear vignettes thankfully act as more than gimmicky elements to subvert the usual rom-com tropes. Instead, the randomness of the events perfectly captures how even the most star-crossed lovers can lose their fuzziness when push comes to shove.
No cliches and familiar narratives can stop Garfield and Pugh, a couple that will bring you to tears.
Watch We Live in Time — showing in theaters now