“We Live in Time” is a romantic comedy-drama that first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6 and was released on Oct. 11, 2024, in the U.S.
Directed by John Crowley, the film stars Andrew Garfield as Tobias, a recent divorcée who just so happens to step out onto the road at the wrong place at the wrong time. He gets hit by Almut, played by Florence Pugh, as she was driving.
The plot explores the pair’s relationship as they yearn for a peaceful life together but are constantly met with new complications.
The story is told in a nonlinear narrative, but it’s easy to follow and is accompanied by brilliant acting from both Garfield and Pugh.
I followed this film from its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival up until its U.S. release, so my expectations were relatively high. Garfield and Pugh are both also well known for their ability to make any tragic scene feel like a punch to the gut.
And yeah, that did happen.
Both Tobias and Almut felt like real people, and their relationship seemed genuine from start to finish. Each disagreement made you feel like you were uncomfortably in the room with them, while each endearing moment felt like watching two friends share affection. You develop a sense of fondness for them.
Aside from the phenomenal acting from both leads, the plot itself is intriguing — but also unoriginal.
“I think it’s a film about two people trying to answer the question meaningfully, which is, what is a meaningful life in the face of a foreshortened life,” Crowley said in an interview with Slash Film.
I was excited for the film because of the rom-com nature and the lead actors. Still, I had a hesitancy because films of this kind have been done numerous times before.
The trope of a romcom having the lead couple’s relationship being cut short because of a fatal illness has been explored already. Films like “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Me Before You” and “A Walk to Remember” all explore and answer the same question posed by Crowley.
Along with this, some scenes feel unnecessarily long or dragged out for sake of capturing the main character’s emotions. They could easily be cut out, as Garfield and Pugh are already exceptional when it comes to conveying emotions with the smallest facial expressions.
Despite all of this, I still found myself truly enjoying several scenes, like the scene where Almut and Tobias find themselves stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic and Almut has to give birth in a gas station bathroom.
“It was such an amazing gift to be given that scene to have a go at. Knowing just how incredible it was to read, but also knowing that it had to be incredibly perfect for it to be pulled off,” Pugh said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
The film is definitely a must-watch if you’re a fan of tragic rom-coms or if you’re a fan of Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. While it doesn’t have anything new to say, it’s still a beautifully done film with authenticity and purpose.
