Film Review: We Live In Time

We Live In Time
Director: John Crowley
Film4, SunnyMarch and Shoebox Films
In Theaters 11.18

Laughter, tears, the joy of love, the pain of loss and Andrew Garfield. I’ve personally encountered each and every one of these during my time circling the sun, and they are part of the rich tapestry of the human experience. John Crowley’s new film, We Live In Time, weaves them all together with an elegance and poignancy that is truly a joy to experience.

Tobias Durand (Garfield, Tick, Tick… Boom!, Spider-Man: No Way Home), a representative for a major cereal company in the U K.,  has just signed his divorce papers when he decides to pop across the street from his hotel room to visit a convenience store and is promptly hit by a car driven by Almut Brühl (Florence Pugh, Midsommar, Little Women).  Almut takes Tobias out to dinner, and the sparks start almost immediately. As their relationship deepens and they move in together, they face ups and downs, including a brief separation over differing feelings toward marriage and kids. Love prevails, however, and the couple has a daughter, Ella (Grace Delaney), who is the center of their world at the time that Almut is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. While there is the possibility of a positive outcome with chemotherapy, Almut—overachieving free spirit that she is—questions whether she wants to risk wasting the time that she has left with grueling and miserable procedures, or simply to live her last months to their fullest with the people that she loves. The difficult decision will test the strength of their bond, but together, Tobias and Almut stay committed to the idea that whatever happens, they will embrace each moment together, however it is spent.

While the premise behind We Live In Time is largely that of a standard romantic weepie, the approach is something else entirely. The screenplay by Nick Payne (The Last Letter From Your Love) is clever and filled with wit, warmth, wonder and richly drawn characters. The story is told out of sequence, and while the non-linear approach is right on the edge of wearing out its welcome, here it allows for a movie that’s made up of moments in time, capturing the reality of a relationship and all its experiences, memories and feelings, without have to artificially craft them into a formulaic and false plot structure. There’s an ethereal quality to the way the various elements connect-seeming to float gracefully from one thought to another rather than jump cutting scene to scene-that is beautifully and profoundly refreshing, acknowledging that life doesn’t follow a rigid structure, and is neither episodic nor separated into three acts. The fact that Crowley (Brooklyn, The Goldfinch) is able to jump back and forth so completely through time in such a free style without ever sacrificing focus and narrative clarity is remarkable, and speaks to a skilled director with a vision. 

It would be going too far to say that this movie is all in the performances, yet it’s hard to overstate the impact of the exceptional work that Pugh and Garfield are doing here. The depth of the connection and commitment to bringing the chemistry and emotion couldn’t be stronger, and the movie soars because the audience falls in love with them both so completely. The ensemble surrounding them is very strong, with Douglas Hodge (Gemini Man, Joker) as Reginald, Tobias’ father, and Lee Braitwaite as Jade, a chef who works with Almut, being the most obvious examples. But then there’s Nikhil Parmar (Gran Turismo) and Kerry Godliman (Trigger Point) as Sanjaya and Janes, respectively, two service station workers who figure prominently into the film’s most memorable sequence, as Almut is unable to make it the hospital before giving birth, in what is arguably the most exciting action sequence of 2024. Each minor character becomes a fully realized and believable person, yet it’s impossible to think about any of them for too long without coming back to Almut and Tobias, because the lovable characterizations from two of the most fearless actors of our time are just that good. 

We Live In Time may be indeed just be an exceptionally well-made romantic melodrama that hits all the right notes, but when you consider that the abysmal It Ends With Us represents the most successful mainstream entry in that genre in some time, to say that Pugh, Garfield and Crowley transcend those trappings doesn’t feel like sufficient praise. This glorious, wonderful and life affirming film is a testament to what artists who are passionately committed to bringing a story to life can do, and it ranks among my favorites of the year. –Patrick Gibbs 

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