WE LIVE IN TIME (2024)
An up-and-coming chef and a newly divorced man find love in a decade-long romance.
An up-and-coming chef and a newly divorced man find love in a decade-long romance.
Tobias Durand (Andrew Garfield), a Weetabix cereal marketing executive, is going through a divorce when, on his way to buy a pen to sign the papers, he’s hit by a car. When he wakes up in a hospital corridor, he meets the woman who hit him, the south London fine dining chef, Almut Bruhl (Florence Pugh).
Early on in We Live in Time, Almut is told her ovarian cancer has returned and it’s potentially terminal. Having already beaten it once, she has to choose between spending what could be her last few months going through chemotherapy and surgery or enjoying her time with her husband and young daughter.
We Live in Time would have been more emotionally impactful if told chronologically. There is little to no emotional impact because the film spends almost two hours emotionally preparing audiences for the ending. Screenwriter Nick Payne wants to depict life as it’s remembered, not how it unfolds in reality.
The vignettes Payne chooses to focus on are entirely ordinary but hugely important to those involved, like meeting the parents and deciding to have children. We Live in Time does offer fresh elements with Tobias and Almut. They meet in their thirties, having already lived a life with ex-wives, ex-careers, and achievements. Unlike many on-screen romances, these two have already existed without each other and must find a way to slot into each other’s lives. The romance is very understated and natural, with no sweeping gestures or exaggerated declarations of love.
But sometimes, We Live in Time is too gentle and neat. Life is never neatly packaged into specific moments, especially when huge themes like cancer, IVF, and parenthood are involved. On paper, this film could be compared to British rom-coms like About Time (2013), but it shares none of the heart or the laughs. An injection of humour could have given the film the lift it needs, instead, the laughs are mild and soft, playing it far too safe. The highs and lows of Tobias and Almut’s relationship are played out as softly and safely as possible.
The film focuses on Almut’s career as a chef, which feels fresh when women in this movie genre usually work in fashion, journalism, or own their own boutique. Because We Live in Time heavily focuses on Almut’s career instead of Tobias, he feels a little underwritten. Everything audiences will know and love about Tobias comes from Garfield’s performance.
Timelines are never signposted or dated, but it’s easy to understand where we are in the progression of the couple’s lives. Mile markers are placed throughout the film, like Almuit’s pregnancy and, later on, her shaved head. It’s mostly easy to keep up with what’s happening, which is a testament to smart writing and the actor’s understanding of their characters.
Florence Pugh’s star quality shines throughout the film, but she is no match for Andrew Garfield. He steals every scene he is in, from their nervous beginnings to his later grief. Garfield has been open about grief after his mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2019. He channels some of his real-life emotions into the role, overshadowing Pugh in every scene they share. Outside of these two, every character feels non-existent. Parents, friends, and co-workers are merely background scenery in Tobias and Almut’s life. The world of We Live in Time is small and never feels fully realised. We’re told about things and people rather than shown.
The story depicted in We Live in Time is entirely normal, as lived through many millions of people and told countless times on the big screen. The non-linear depiction of the story is the only element that brings anything original to proceedings. The movie isn’t afraid to tick off rom-com tropes, leading to hokey bits that feel incredibly dated, even when sold by two likeable leads.
The strongest scene in the film is the extended birth scene, which brings humour to an otherwise stale film. The lead-up to their daughter’s birth, from Almut’s cancer to the IVF to her birth, is a much more interesting movie and should have been the lead focus of We Live in Time.
Although described as a tear-jerker, it feels like We Live in Time is trying too hard to deliver sadness without earning the right to make audiences cry. The jumping between small moments stops audiences from connecting with the characters and the story. The sad moments always feel forced; somehow, seeing the good moments is more emotive. The end mostly plays out in a linear form, indicating that the whole narrative could have been shown chronologically
Director John Crowley (Brooklyn) effectively meditates on love, loss, and how to say goodbye to those people in your life. The story playing out in a non-linear fashion is nothing more than a gimmick that does more harm than good. Working better as a romance than a weepy, the manipulative ending doesn’t deliver the tears it would have hoped for.
We Live in Time is a glorified Hallmark movie that is sold by two charming performances. Garfield especially delivers a performance that is far better than this script deserved. Considering the talent involved, We Live in Time feels like a frustrating missed opportunity.
FRANCE • UK | 2024 | 108 MINUTES | 2.39:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH
director: John Crowley.
writer: Nick Payne.
starring: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Adam James, Marama Corlett, Aoife Hinds, Heather Craney, Douglas Hodge & Nikhil Parmar.