Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield headline this classic romantic comedy-drama. We Live in Time follows the years-long love of Thomas (Garfield) and Almut (Pugh) in a nonlinear fashion. The film opens with Almut’s cancer diagnosis, and from there, we go to different moments in their lives that give us a peek into what kind of people they are and how they became these people. From John Crowley, director of films like Brooklyn and The Goldfinch, comes a beautiful tale that feels true to real life, absurd in all the right ways, and filled with grounded, heartbreaking performances.
From its opening scene, you understand what a tearjerker We Live in Time will be. Any film that deals with loved ones diagnosed with illnesses is heartbreaking, and it can be risky to start a movie by tearing you to pieces, but it works because this scene speaks to anyone who has lost someone important to them. The film depicts the initial shock and the challenging decisions that must be made afterward. From there, we go to their meet-cute and enter more moments where they mean everything to each other.
The structure most resembles the screenplay for 500 Days of Summer, a rom-com that began with a couple breaking up and then went into a nonlinear structure that jumped around important moments in their relationship. The films are quite different, as that movie embraced a more comedic tone and did a better job of using its nonlinear structure for both laughs and depressing surprises. The nonlinear structure of We Live in Time feels a bit more frivolous, where we jump back and forth between many different periods without the decisions feeling too intentional or precise.
But We Live in Time excels primarily due to the charm of its two leads. Garfield and Pugh are two of the most famous actors working today, and it’s wonderful to see them paired together and finally allowed to use their British accents. They have exceptional, believable chemistry with each other, portraying this romance with a love that always feels grounded. Even in its more outlandish scenes, such as a childbirth in an unexpected location, the movie works well and succeeds in telling a romance that hits all the right notes.
This film has a pretty memorable meet-cute, and there are many small details throughout that allow their chemistry to speak for itself. Through each dialogue scene, we get a sense of their similarities and differences. We see all of the things that could tear these two apart, and we see them choose to fall in love with each other and stay together. Much like a real-life relationship, there are so many things that make each of them human, and the screenplay from writer Nick Payne does a brilliant job of allowing us to sit in the mistakes with each other as well as with the things Tobias and Almut get right.
Pugh and Garfield are exceptional actors. They manage to pull pure emotion not only out of their charming dialogue but also during the moments when they don’t say a word. The most talented performers can display a world of nuance through nothing more than a facial expression. Pugh and Garfield manage to not only get us to believe it but to also feel the pain we cannot bear to see them live through.
Because We Live in Time features a couple about to be torn apart by cancer, there are a few elements that feel familiar. Fans of movies like A Walk to Remember will leap for this movie, particularly because it pulls at the same emotions. This is a movie about a couple taking their time while time is being taken from them. Almut is a particularly tragic character because, despite the mistakes she makes, she is a person who wants to make something of her life before she dies. She’s sympathetic, and beyond it all, she’s a person.
This is an achingly beautiful film filled with heart. It will bring you joy and tears as it explores the spectacular highs of love and how amazing it can feel while also showing how emotional it can be when something tragic happens to the person who matters the most to you. A particular poignant sequence in We Live in Time is one where they try to conceive. It’s funny and cute, and it’s a standout in a film that works wonders. Although it can sometimes feel like you’re watching a 107-minute montage, it’s a warm hug of a montage that you won’t be able to get enough of.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our We Live in Time review.
