New Release Wednesday: We Live In Time (2024) Film Review

Notably this review has been released on the 29th when I promised it to be released on the 16-17th, a whole two weeks ago. Despite this lack of time keeping, I was able to continue watching films in the meantime even if I haven’t written the reviews. So I will be trying to put those out in the next few days.

On with the review.

We Live In Time (2024)

Written by Nick Payne in his debut solo writing gig, and directed by John Crowley, We Live In Time is a cute story of couple Tobias (Andrew Garfield) and Almut (Florence Pugh), and their ordinary life together, from their meeting, their child, and the untimely death of Almut. No, that isn’t a spoiler. It is the premise of the story that one day Almut will succumb to cancer, and the pair along with their daughter will have to figure out how to move forward with the remainder of their lives together.

Thoughts on the Story

From the very beginning of the film it is made clear that we are not watching from the beginning of their story. Instead that comes up a little while later. The film utilizes a non-linear storytelling method, jumping between different eras in their relationship. These can be broken down into three themes: Dating, Pregnancy, and Cancer. And while these are how the story unfolds linearly, the establishing scenes for each one happens in reverse. First we are introduced to Almut jogging through the woods to her countryside home and awakes Tobias still in bed. Second we have Tobias waking up in a completely different home to find Almut in the bathroom having contractions. And third, Tobias getting dressed up in a suit talking with his dad.

Each scene plays out as though they are introducing the story for the first time, establishing characters, and doing its best to relate to the audience when in their lives the events are taking place in relation to one another, without trying too hard. No one standing in the corner with a sign saying “Three Years Earlier”. But each era tells it’s own story that evolves, eventually becoming the setting for the next era.

For Dating, Tobias, who we are led to believe was on his first date with Almut, was actually getting ready for a work event, but then abruptly meets Almut via a 40mph hello that landed him in the hospital. A bit of Nightingale Syndrome later and the pair begin dating. This era sees the highs and lows of realistic dating. One night stands, arguing, family meetings, and breakups. By the end of it we come to learn that Almut has ovarian cancer and is recommended to get a hysterectomy. This leads the pair into a decision that starts off the second era: Pregnancy.

Possibly the most realistic depiction I’ve seen of a couple handling pregnancy. Specifically moments such as Almut getting into a bath, Tobias deciding to hop in with her, then pulling out a yard of Jaffa Cakes and leaving one on her belly. It’s not glamorous and it is not sexy. But it is cute. This era follows two trips to the hospital in one day, the second of which becomes the climax of the era with a detour to a garage toilets, where little Ella is born.

Throughout the Pregnancy Era, the discussion of the ovarian cancer is sidelined after it is mentioned going into remission, but as our characters enter the third era, well. You can imagine what happens. A B-plot is introduced where Almut is invited to participate in a cooking competition, but it comes at some unfortunate costs. One such being that while training, she forgets to pick up her daughter from school, and another that it coincides with her wedding day to Tobias.

I think what stood out to me most was how well I was able to follow the constant change in which era I was watching. The characters stayed in a relative similar age range, possibly early 20s until late 30s. Andrew Garfield didn’t grow a distinctive beard, goatee, or mustache to tell the audience how old he was like Jack did in This Is Us. There were a couple of easy tells, such as Almut’s apartment being used for the first two eras. Almut being pregnant to divide those. The countryside house for the Cancer Era, as well as any scenes showing Ella. Almut did have some hairstyle changes, significantly her shaved head when she receives the cancer diagnosis. Outside of physical changes, what made it easier to note was the dynamics of the characters with each other. Tobias remains awkward and nerdy throughout the film, however he is smitten in Dating, calm during Pregnancy, and at his end throughout Cancer. He showed a distinct but subtle difference.

What I Liked

Acting

No contest that Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh were so fun and heart retching to watch. Their chemistry was perfect. Being a fan of the MCU has allowed me to see them both play into their comedic sides, as well as delve into the more tragic. But how they played off of each others moments is what stands out in this film. Little moments that felt like a real relationship with give and take, inside jokes, and cringe inducing flirting.

Writing

Nick Payne did incredibly well at writing this story. His characters are enjoyable. The premise is heartbreaking but the events make it heartfelt and bittersweet. The idea of a non-linear story can be seen as a gimmick to make the audience think there was more to the story than there actually was, but it was able to link events and feels across the different eras of their relationship in a meaningful way. Even the moments that decided each era evolved with the story.

What I Didn’t Like

Plot

This might come as a surprise due to my enjoyment of the story, but the only thing I struggled with was the realistic depiction of losing someone to cancer. Which is a story that has been told countless times in other media. I was grateful that we didn’t see a pair of teens having a self destructive adventure of a lifetime that caused damage to everybody else around them, and I know that sometimes films need to be made with realism, with real, average lives. But this film tried its best to make something seem real while also undermining it with needless secrecy.

The previously mentioned B-Plot was a secret that Almut kept from Tobias for initially no reason. Early on he disagrees with her participating in the cooking competition, but she later proves she was entirely capable of doing it. To have a realistic healthy relationship as these two show, there would be disagreements but also compromise. Discussions. But this was used to provoke drama, written solely to prove that the starring leads could act, and the scene was highlighted in the trailer. The argument felt natural, the cause felt cheap.

Conclusion

As my second film of the year, this did not live up to my expectations. I prefer a story with a plot as opposed to character driven stories, and unfortunately this was the latter. Not to say it was a bad film, but not my style: 5/10.

I have placed this as #3 on my film watch list for the year. I recently saw Conclave starring Ralph Fiennes which was a fantastic political thriller and much more my speed and gave it second spot above We Live In Time. This list has already been updated with my other watched films with reviews to follow.