We Live In Time
In John Crowley’s most recent film We Live In Time, Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield race time by making the most out of their circumstances.
The film follows Tobias and Almut throughout multiple stages of their unusual relationship, from her hitting him with her car to her battle with ovarian cancer. The film does not flow in chronological order, rather showing the different stages of their relationship to show just how far they have come as a couple. You can really tell that Garfield and Pugh know how special this story is in their performances. Love and grief are two of the biggest feelings a person can have; put those together in a movie, and you get a tear-jerker like We Live In Time.
As simple of a plot this film has to work off, the two lead’s chemistry shoots the quality sky high. Both Pugh and Garfield are very charismatic and engaging actors on their own; together they work off each other wonderfully. At some points, you forget that you’re watching a movie but rather an actual couple. Almut has so much personality and spunk, even when she is dealing with the risk of dying. Tobias is the perfect husband (and I am not just saying that because it’s Andrew Garfield). You can tell that he cares about his partner through everything, no matter how defiant and stubborn she is. He is even willing to completely end any romantic endeavors with her based solely on the fact he does not want to pressure her with the idea of children, which becomes slightly ironic as the two have a child together. I really do not need to add anymore to the acting, because if you have seen the movie, you know just how good it is. The leads are truly what make We Live In Time shine.
A feature of the film I also really enjoyed was the looming presence of time. There is always some sort of clock or timer in most scenes, whether Almut is being timed for her speediness while cooking or Tobias is timing her while she is pregnant. Almut is always aware that her time is ticking. She strives to do something with her life before she has nothing to show for it. Almut actively fights against time throughout the film in multiple ways. The first scene of the film is her running. As the film goes on, she competes in the cooking competition, and ends up winning by the end of the film. This is what all of her running, both physical and metaphorical, has been for. She finally has something she can be proud of, aside from her beautiful family. She has cemented a legacy for herself, ending her short time on Earth with a high-note.
Even with the film’s great achievements, there are some details I wish had been developed. For one, there was so much more that could have been done with the struggle of losing a parent. It is briefly touched on at the beginning, and it is implied that both Tobias and Almut have lost one of their parents. This is such a real emotional battle that many people face, and I just wish more had been done with it in the plot. If the film had been maybe just 10-15 minutes longer, this could have been further developed. I also wish we got to know more about Tobias. Almut is truly the main character of this story, but I wanted to know more about him as a person. In some cases, he feels almost like a figure to point out Almut’s dilemmas, especially towards the end of the film. But, I still really enjoyed this viewing experience. Even with these few gripes, I think the film does a phenomenal job at telling this heartbreaking story. Go see it if you have not, and bring some tissues with you.