We Live in Time (2024)

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/we-live-in-time-review-a-bittersweet-reflection
-on-lifes-fleeting-moments/ "We Live in Time is a testament to the power of cinema that transcends the simplicity of its story with a moving, complex approach to the central themes of human existence. John Crowley and Nick Payne deliver a narrative where form and content harmonize, using a nonlinear structure not as a mere stylistic gimmick but as an invitation to reflect on how time, memories, and personal choices shape who we are and who we love. With sublime, heartfelt performances from Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, audiences are guided through a delicate, authentic study of love, loss, and the fragility of our connections. In the end, it leaves a bittersweet feeling: the remembrance of the fleeting beauty of shared moments and the inevitability of time that shapes and erodes everything." Rating: A-

Suffice to say that "Tobias" (Andrew Garfield) isn't having a good day. He is sitting alone in an hotel room without even a biro to sign his newly arrived divorce papers. He sets off to rectify that but en route back unexpectedly (and painfully) encounters successful chef "Almut" (Florence Pugh) before he awakens, in a fetching neck-brace, in an hospital corridor. That's the tentative beginning for what becomes quite an engagingly portrayed love story that manages to marry quite a bit of humour with some tragedy, tension and toilet-floor activity as we are presented with two characters who might resonate with the viewer more than many. The story itself isn't really anything new. What makes this work is the dynamic between Garfield and Pugh. His is a more understated role, her's the more forceful - but both complement the other really quite effectively as the threads of their respective stories and of their burgeoning relationship are quite poignantly interwoven into a current timeline that has already pretty much telegraphed the inevitability of the denouement to us. It's that chemistry that rings true and even though the travails are rather piled up on the couple, their solutions to many of their issues are plausibly played out amidst some affection, temper tantrums, selfishness, tears and fine dining. Lee Braithwaite appears sparingly but quite usefully as her commis "Jade" who manages to allow us all to take the occasional breather from the increasing intensity of the plot, but essentially this is a two-hander that tugs gently at the heart-strings, but is not a film that oozes sentimentality. Always crack an egg on flat surface!

"_I'm worried that's there's a very distinct and real possibility that I am about to fall in love with you._" I am not a fan of stories that keep jumping back and forth in time, but this does it well. It keeps me on my toes when it comes to relaxing and feeling sad, and I guess that's the point. The last scene had me gulping down some water.

'We Live in Time' is painfully brilliant. I had no clue what this was about, aside from its romantic comedy-drama genre, so went into it blind and, let me tell you, I was sold within the first few scenes. The acting from the two leads right at the beginning is just incredible. That's only initially too, because the performances of Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield are sensational all the way through; some of the best acting I've seen for a while, their chemistry is absolutely on point. They are two people I already enjoy, but this is undoubtedly the best work I've seen from them thus far. The film holds a heavy plot, though does an excellent job at making the highs high and the lows low. The non-linear narrative can be a bit back and forth, but I personally felt like the timeline largely spoke for itself anyway; all becomes clear. There's much emotion packed in there.