Since people have been telling stories, there have been romantic tearjerkers. Tales of star-crossed lovers, or relationships seemingly cursed for one reason or another, have been told for centuries upon centuries in all sorts of ways. Plays, poems, paintings, pop ditties…in all manner and method of the arts, there are powerful works devoted to the brokenhearted. Movies are no exception, having also reflected those eternal feelings of doomed courtship in titles like “Love Story,” “Untamed Heart,” or “The Fault in Our Stars.” We know that relationships end, sometimes beyond the control of the people in them, and we are fascinated by that combination of joy and sorrow that comes with it. We understand how powerful true love can be and how devastating it is when it’s gone, and so we turn up to consume these stories so we can smile, and laugh, and swoon, and weep uncontrollably. “We Live in Time” is a well-done iteration of this classic pitch, using non-linear storytelling to portray its central relationship through all of the various changes that life brings along. The story itself, and even the unconventional formatting, is nothing truly surprising, nor does it reinvent much that has come before. But the true power of director John Crowley’s film lies in its two leads and how they are written (by Nick Payne), as the actors are incredibly likeable, real people that can’t help but engage viewers and make them fall for all the rollercoaster antics that only a romantic sobfest can bring.
The plot, as it unfolds out of chronological order, follows a chef named Almut (Florence Pugh) and an IT manager named Tobias (Andrew Garfield). Tobias is recently divorced when he…abruptly meets Almut and still finds himself immediately taken with her. He comes to her restaurant, they go on dates, they fight, they have sex (though not necessarily in that order), they enjoy meals together, time marches on and they face big questions about marriage and children and what happens when someone gets very sick. Through it all, they joke and argue and comfort one another while trying to navigate the tricky business of being alive.
“We Live in Time” doesn’t have much in the way of plot. Even though it concerns all of the major aspects of our lives that take up most of our days and nights, I could neatly type up the entirety of the movie’s narrative in about three sentences if I wanted to…but that’s not really the point. The story of Almut and Tobias is the story of so many lovers found across the world at all different points of time. From the infancy of a relationship to the very lived-in maturity of coupledom, and more, we recognize this duo because we’ve been this duo or we know this duo, in some form or another. It’s a slice of life that feels more chaotic due to how the timeline is all chopped up, but that just goes to also make it feel a bit more eternal. It’s always been this way, it’ll always be this way.
But like an impressionistic painting, you’re not there to take notes on the plot or point out any anachronisms. “We Live in Time”’s power lies in the emotional effect it has on the audience, and that is all powered by the exceptional work of Pugh and Garfield. The two have a genuinely nice vibe about each of them, and they also seem incredibly pleasant as a couple together. There is something very truthful about the energy between the two that can’t be faked or pre-orchestrated, it relies on the actors themselves to actually cultivate this chemistry. You know that cliché about finishing each other’s sentences? That sense of complementing one another is on full display; Almut and Tobias are never framed as opposites, but they are clearly two singular pieces that lock in with each other well and it’s an honest marvel to watch them be so cohesive together…even when fighting or going through some new form of relationship Hell.
“We Live in Time” is a bit lopsided as not much is given to Tobias’ life compared to Almut’s bio. His work, his family, his past, take a backseat to Almut’s present and the couple’s future. There may be storytelling/metaphorical reasons for this—Iwouldn’t want to get into in case of spoiling anyone’s enjoyment of the film—but it is noticeable that he’s just a stand-in corporate manager type while her chef world is much more involved and featured. He’s literally seen at work once in the entirety of “We Live in Time.” And there’s not as much plumbing of his backstory as there is for Almut.
But…what if that’s the point? That’s just the dynamic the two have struck where she will always be the focus and her world will always be much more fascinating than his. But his excitement and thrills come from witnessing her, from being near her, from holding her and holding space for her? Possibly.
“We Live in Time” is an effective romantic emotional rollercoaster because you fall in love with the couple, and that caring about them leads you to be engrossed when things go bad. Which they inevitably will. But rather than have it all be lopsided towards tragedy at the end of the movie, the non-linear storytelling reiterates that this is all part of it. The good, the bad, the ugly are all things we think of when we reflect on our loves. Intertwined with each other, these moments don’t exist in isolation to be sad or solely to be happy, but woven together as that melancholic joy, that sweet sorrow, that we really only experience when truly in love. Yes, it’s a tale as old as time…and sometimes there’s a reason the old standards never go away.
3.5 / 5 Stars
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Grace Delaney, Lee Braithwaite, Adam James
Directed by: John Crowley
