Certificate: 15
Running Time: 107 mins
UK Distributor: Studiocanal
UK Release Date: 1 January 2025
Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Adam James, Marama Corlett, Aoife Hinds, Nikhil Parmar, Heather Craney, Douglas Hodge, Lee Braithewaite, Grace Delaney, Amy Morgan, Niamh Cusack, Lucy Briers, Robert Boulter, Kerry Godliman
John Crowley (director), Nick Payne (writer), Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke and Guy Heeley (producers), Bryce Dessner (composer), Stuart Bentley (cinematographer), Justine Wright (editor)
A couple (Pugh and Garfield) go through some of life’s hardest challenges together…
[This is a slightly re-edited version of our review for We Live in Time from its showing at the Toronto International Film Festival]
When Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield presented a couple of awards together at the 95th Oscars, all anyone could talk about – more than even the winners of those categories – was how good they seemed together. Hollywood promptly took advantage of the attention, and within days both actors were in negotiations for the lead roles in a new romantic comedy-drama titled We Live in Time, with Pugh and Garfield plopped front and centre of the film’s marketing (well, them and that shocked carousel horse which briefly went viral).
It was an extremely smart ploy on the filmmakers, because the movie – from director John Crowley and writer Nick Payne – is one that depends solely on the chemistry between its two leads, and not only do they have it but there is plenty spare to go around. They are fundamental in making this film a charming and emotional experience, which just about makes up for the fact that it is not quite as perfect as some may be making it out to be.
Pugh and Garfield are Almut and Tobias respectively, a London-based couple whose relationship is shown through various non-linear fragments. We first see them living a comfortable life together in an idyllic countryside cottage, then suddenly she’s experiencing contractions prior to the birth of their first child, and then they’re at the hospital where Almut is receiving a fateful cancer diagnosis – and that’s right before it flashes way back to when they first meet, when she hits Tobias with her car. Across further flashbacks and flashforwards, the couple go through many other obstacles together, including their initial disagreements about having kids, Almut entering an international cooking contest (she’s a chef) despite her ailing health, and even their intimate first day together.
The non-linear narrative is honestly where my biggest gripe with We Live in Time lies. There isn’t really a justifiable reason for this story to be told out of order, for it doesn’t add much in terms of tension or conflict, because it’s already established what ends up happening to these characters further down the line thanks to earlier scenes showing the outcome of their current situation. At times, it can even be distracting as you’re desperately trying to follow along with this story, but it keeps cutting back and forth so much that you start to get a bit lost as to whether we’re watching something from the past, present or future. Films like (500) Days of Summer and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind have proven that you can absolutely take a non-linear approach to romantic dramadies like this, but those examples at least had a substantial purpose within their own narratives, whereas here it just feels like you’re watching on shuffle mode the DVD chapters of an otherwise perfectly fine rom-com.
That’s really the best way to describe this movie: perfectly fine. Putting aside the slightly irritating out-of-order sequencing, Payne’s script is extremely comfortable wrapping itself in a warmly conventional romantic movie structure, where the two leads go through many of the expected motions of an emotional love story, from their hapless meet-cute to their third-act break-up – which, given its flexible nature, happens well into the film’s second half – to dealing with life-threatening illnesses that of course come with multiple crying sessions. As trope-heavy as it may be, Payne still manages to insert enough heartfelt drama and sly wit to make the film both funny and sad in one fell swoop, while director Crowley piles on the handsome charm that is more often than not impossible to resist. Payne is also good at writing dialogue that adds extra power to certain scenes that are already pretty emotionally charged, enough to where even the less impressed audience member will undoubtedly feel something by the end of it all.
But again, the reason that We Live in Time works at all, even in spite of its flaws, is because the casting is spot-on. As you may expect, Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield have exceptional chemistry with each other, and the actors work so well off one another in ways that come so naturally to them that it almost feels like they’ve known each other for years, before they even first appeared together at the Oscars. Even as the film flops back and forth throughout their on-screen relationship, their connection is always burning bright, with both Pugh and Garfield illuminating every single scene with their glowing presence that never ceases to dimmer. Individually, both give a pair of neatly grounded turns that are neatly tailored towards the comfortable nature of the script, though an excellent Pugh perhaps has more dramatic material to work with than Garfield, who is also great in a slightly less compelling role (the most going on in his life, opposite Pugh’s cancer diagnosis, is working for Weetabix).
It makes sense that the on-screen connection between Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield is by far the best thing about We Live in Time, because it’s likely that the film itself wouldn’t exist if the world hadn’t paid attention to them during their Oscars presenting gig. Given its insubstantial and fairly conventional non-linear narrative, it’s likely that the script would have been lost in time without the involvement of its stars, who with their combined appeal have ensured that the film will find a dedicated audience, regardless of the slightly flimsy material.
We Live in Time is a perfectly fine romantic comedy-drama that is carried entirely on the shoulders of lead actors Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, whose fantastic chemistry and strong individual performances add plenty of charm and emotion to a frustratingly non-linear narrative that’s already fairly conventional.
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