Release Date – 1st January 2025, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 47 minutes, Director – John Crowley
Rising star chef Almut (Florence Pugh) and divorcee Tobias’ (Andrew Garfield) find themselves going back over their years-long relationship, the good and the bad, in the wake of Almut’s cancer diagnosis.
Jumping back and forth between tragedy and the relationship build-up before this point We Live In Time has the feeling of a relationship montage for rising chef and restaurateur Almut (Florence Pugh) and Weetabix IT team member – an idea the film runs with for a few jokes before solely focusing on Almut’s work – Tobias (Andrew Garfield), looking back on the highs and lows of their life together as they confront the former’s cancer diagnosis. Having met after Almut hits Tobias with her car while he returns from the shop to buy a pen to sign divorce papers in a hotel room he has for the night the pair quickly strike up a bond when she invites him to the opening of her restaurant to make up for the accident. Quickly a relationship forms between the pair which plays out in naturalistic, and exceptionally middle class, fashion.
While bringing the aforementioned montage-adjacent feeling the non-linear construction of events works well, settling in and finding its pace fairly early on to avoid feeling like a complete near-2-hour montage. This decision also helps to lighten the film overall. The drama is certainly present, and has its moments of weight, when dealing with the pair’s reactions to Almut’s health, and how she wants to be remembered by their daughter – “I don’t want my relationship with Ella to be solely defined by my decline” she protests to her husband in a wonderfully delivered monologue by Pugh – but by jumping back to the early years of dating, and even after, there’s plenty of largely naturalistic humour to be found, occasionally making certain more dramatic moments have a slightly orchestrated feel.
Pugh and Garfield give great performances, both together and individually. Bringing in the laughs and emotion – bouncing off each other wonderfully, in particular during a very funny extended sequence which sees Almut giving birth in a petrol station. Even during beats where the central idea feels somewhat drawn out, as if uncertain of where to cut things off in its search to get the characters from one stage of their relationship to the next, the strength of the central pairs performances manages to carry things through and keep things moving. There’s a clear bond created between the two characters which acts as as much of a hook into the film as the build-up and development of the love they have for each other, and where that takes them in their conversations and arguments, and indeed the largely naturalistic tone of the film as a whole.
As a whole, We Live In Time presents a likable portrait of the couple as they ride through their ups and downs. Drama is both lifted and lightened by the humour scattered throughout bringing you into their lives which are wonderfully performed by the two leads. While some moments might seem a bit uncertain as they try to get from A to B, overall this is an enjoyable and successfully emotional, particularly when relating to arguments and monologues between the pair during key moments of struggle in their lives – where both actors really give it their all. It might not all be perfect, but neither is the relationship depicted, but there’s plenty to like and be brought into for the film to have success with an emotionally engaged audience.
While some moments might feel stagnant as they try to bridge ideas, there’s plenty to be emotionally engaged by within We Live In Time’s natural humour and slightly orchestrated struggle thanks largely to two great lead performances from Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh who create a convincing and effective relationship.
Just A Little Bit Random 