The chronological jumps may feel trying at times but make perfect sense when viewed as a series of memories filtered through the lens of a dying individual
Still from We Live in Time
Film: We Live in Time
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Grace Delaney, Lee Braithwaite, Aoife Hinds, Adam James, Douglas Hodge, Amy Morgan
Director: John Crowley
Rating: 3/5
Runtime: 108 min.
A tragic romance, a sentimental dive into a second chance at love between a divorcee and an ambitious chef, “We Live in Time” has the power to tug on your heartstrings.
This is not straightforward telling. The narrative jumps between several timelines as it tells this teary tale with purpose and heft. The film opens with Almut(Pugh) and Tobias (Garfield) shocked by a severe cancer diagnosis for Almut. They have an impossible decision to make. Live each day for the remaining six months of life fully or get through the misery of chemo that might not work anyway.
The couple approach their marriage as a partnership and their decisions are joint efforts. Nick Payne’s script jumps around four timelines. We see that Almut’s cancer has returned, and she makes a deeply personal decision to take part in a cooking competition to cement one last accomplishment in her life.This is a decision she hides from Tobias. The narrative jumps back to the couple’s courtship days, Almut’s pregnancy and the child’s birth away from a hospital, their time spent with their child amidst the recurring cancer diagnoses and her efforts to go on with the competition despite suffering acute trauma.
Almut runs Tobais over with her car and accompanies him to the hospital - that’s how they first meet. She thereafter offers him a free meal at the restaurant where she works as the chef. The narrative jumps to the cancer diagnoses and illustrates how they cope with difficult career/life decisions then jumps to deciding how to present the situation to their young daughter, Ella (Grace Delaney). The tragic nature of the script is deeply felt.
The chronological jumps may feel trying at times but make perfect sense when viewed as a series of memories filtered through the lens of a dying individual. Crowley and his editor Justine Wright make Almut’s varying physical state the marker for the time jumps. The script might feel shallow but the performances deem it organic.
Garfield and Pugh share a chemistry that is palpable. Garfield conveys concern, anger, and deep sadness with remarkable sincerity while Pugh does most of the heavy lifting through small, nuanced choices that leave a strong impact. Character development, despite the jumpy script, is strong enough to be memorable.
The dramatic weepy sub-genre has gotten renewed life with this film. It’s not exactly great but it’s not maudlin or handkerchief driven either. The narrative draws you into the mechanics of a love that is practical and deals with what is rather than what ifs. The movie makes for a good cry so fans of weepies won't be disappointed.
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