The Plot: Tobias (Andrew Garfield) is in a personal crisis, stumbles out onto the road and is knocked over by Almut (Florence Pugh). He wakes up to her face in the hospital, where she awkwardly mentions why she’s there. Their paths cross again. This is the beginning of a tentative romance for the duo, who have different views on having children and where the relationship is heading. It’s going to many different places over the next few years, as budding chef Almut embraces her talent in a competition but also has to deal with the challenges of daily life, supported by the caring Tobias…
The Verdict: Executive produced by one Benedict Cumberbatch, We Live In Time has been gaining a fair bit of traction since its autumn premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Though, perhaps not necessarily in Oscar whisper circles. It might be too good for the Oscars anyway, being the kind of lower-register film that is bracingly honest, funny and moving about that wonderful, crazy, messy thing we call life. It also quickly moves past the casting of two attractive and popular actors in Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh – a dream pairing that yields high rewards here. Instead, it doubles down on its apparent mission statement to capture the essence of a relationship, in whatever form that may be and at whatever time. Like (500) Days Of Summer, this film takes an unconventional approach to storytelling but does so in a way that comes across as natural once it settles down and Pugh’s varying haircuts become apparent to denote each time period and emotional state.
However, Nick Payne’s script doesn’t feel the need to flick through various days of the relationship to give a snapshot of it. His script is more fully formed, starting towards the end, introducing the beginning and then moving through significant life events for this couple that then fill out the rest of the story over several years. By doing so, he hits the audience head-on with the more sobering stuff early on and then watches that play out in different time periods. This Tarantino-like narrative effect is a little disorienting at first, but when the characterisation is so sharply observed it then has a natural rhythm to it and its own internal logic. Tobias and Almut are beautifully-drawn characters who fall in love, argue, plan their lives together and then have to deal with the complexities that all brings when life doesn’t go according to plan. How the film deals with that is quite sophisticated, never giving into cloying sentimentality or predictable weepie-of-the-week territory. This film is well above that.
Brooklyn director John Crowley, who also gave Garfield his start in acting with Boy A, proceeds with the precision of an experienced director who knows how to get the best out of his lead actors. It’s very much a collaborative process at work here, with the natural chemistry between Garfield and Pugh evident early on even though the timeframe is fragmented. It’s a testament to their engagement with the story and their characters that each scene flows seamlessly into another, guided by Crowley’s careful hand and sharp editing from Justine Wright. There’s a standout sequence at a petrol station which is like the film in miniature. It captures everything that the film is saying about how wonderful and amazing life is, if you can shut out the white noise and focus on that one important person in front of you for a key life event. There’s an underlying rawness to the film, but it has been gently massaged to make it a bit more palatable for a mainstream audience while subtly tugging at the heartstrings.
If there’s a main theme at play here in We Live In Time, it’s the power of love in different forms over different times but maintaining a consistent message: time is a gift, not a curse. How Crowley uses time to portray this relationship is not only smart but genuinely affecting. It’s a beautiful film that has a strong resonance even after the credits roll. 2025 is already off to a memorable start with this quality romantic drama about not only living in time but through it too.
Rating: 4 / 5
Review by Gareth O’Connor
In short: The power of love
Directed by John Crowley. Starring Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Grace Delaney, Aoife Hinds, Niamh Cusack.