WE LIVE IN TIME (2024)

Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: John Crowley
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Grace Delaney, Lee Braithwaite, Aoife Hinds, Adam James, Douglas Hodge, Amy Morgan, Niamh Cusack, Lucy Briers
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 7 November 2024

Synopsis: Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of the unconventional route their love story has taken, in filmmaker John Crowley's decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.

Movie Review:

When we first saw the trailer of this romantic drama starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, we had an inkling how the movie is going end. In one shot where the location looks like a doctor’s consult room, Pugh’s character is seen looking defeated, while Garfield’s character tries to comfort her. The next shot in the same location sees Pugh still looking down trodden, but her head is shaven this time round. Garfield holds her hand, and things still don’t look too cheery for the couple.

Without reading the synopsis of the movie directed by Irish filmmaker John Crowley, it doesn’t take a genius to guess how the story is going to pan out. The screenplay by British playwright Nick Payne shows snippets of Tobias (Garfield) and Almut’s (Pugh) lives as a couple over a course of 10 years.

In a truly charming setup, we see how Tobias is hit by a car driven by Almut after he buys a pen to sign divorce papers, and how the two of them fall in love with each other before becoming a couple. Then we see how Almut discovers she has ovarian cancer and chooses to receive treatment. Fortunately, it goes into remission and the couple manages to conceive a daughter after an initial disagreement over having children.

Life wouldn’t be that smooth sailing in a movie of this genre. Just as Almut’s career hits an all time high with her position of head chef in a restaurant, her cancer becomes worse and she has to undergo chemotherapy before the tumour can be surgically removed. As with all medical procedures, there is no guarantee that she will survive the ordeal. At this time, Tobias proposes to her and they plan for a wedding. To complicate matters, Almut is given the opportunity to participate in a world chef championship, and the finals are taking place on the same day of their ceremony.

Did we just relate almost the entire story of this 108 minute movie? Yes we did, but there aren’t really much spoilers here, because we are guessing that the filmmakers’ intent is to let the viewers experience the ups and downs Tobias and Almut go through as a couple. You also probably know how their tale is going to end, and the last scenes of the film shouldn’t bring any surprises.

What’s interesting about the movie is that it is presented in a nonlinear narrative, which means you see events unfolding non chronologically. One moment, you will be seeing Tobias and Almut getting anxious over the results of a pregnancy kit. In the next sequence, you will see them trying to cope with grief as Almut’s condition deteriorates. The scenes seem to play out randomly, but they flow well enough without distraction.

A large part of why this movie works is because of the extremely likeable main leads. We have seen how Garfield’s puppy eyes work wonders in other movies, and fans would love how endearing he is as Tobias in this movie. Pugh has exuded her magnetic charisma in different genres, and here, she is the enigmatic woman who is fighting hard for her daughter to remember her as an accomplished individual. Both stars deliver competent performances which have audiences going along for the couple’s emotional journey.

Movie Rating:

(Despite the story’s predictability, audiences will be drawn to the protagonists’ emotional journey, thanks to Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh’s charisma and charm)

Review by John Li