Florence Pugh rips your heart open in ‘We Live in Time’

Although We Live in Time is extremely familiar in its themes, this film stands alone in its execution. We all know how cancer films go. They tug at your heartstrings, squeeze out your tears and leave you broken. Even though We Live In Time made me cry, I didn’t feel manipulated.

We Live in Time is burdened with honesty. Without Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, this film would not be what it is. Their performances make the movie. The chemistry between Tobias (Andrew Garfield) and Almut (Florence Pugh) is instant; you immediately know these two are for each other, which makes it all the more depressing when we see the disease take its course. 

Yet, cancer is not the center of We Live In Time; though it is the catalyst for these characters’ story, we are more involved in the relationship between these people and how it shifts and adjusts to life’s circumstances. There are a series of moments where they face the choice of who gets to be selfish. We see Almut being selfish far more than Tobias, although perhaps she deserves that privilege. 

I felt throughout the film that I was stepping into the lives of two authentic and honest people. I loved how Almut was developed and how we met her. However, even as exciting as it was to watch Andrew Garfield walk down a bypass just to buy a pen to sign his divorce papers, I felt we were deprived of his individualism. We Live in Time very quickly becomes about the pair of these characters with a focus on Almut’s health, her desires, and her dreams, yet we know so little of Tobias’s.

Aside from a tech position at Weetabix, his affinity for chocolate oranges and a charming father, Reginald (Douglas Hodge), who is Tobias? It wasn’t necessarily a hole in the film’s structure; however, it did feel like a blank space in an otherwise well-thought-out film. Even without character-defining moments to create depth, Andrew Garfield is charming, warm and magnetic—his character isn’t interesting, but he is an emotional tempest for the audience to contend with. You won’t see Tobias so much as you connect with Andrew. 

On the other hand, Florence Pugh’s Almut is a force to be reckoned with. She is fierce in her dreams and ambitions and makes her passions her reality, from figure skating to culinary mastermind. And when her relapse transpires, Almut is transfixed with making her mark for those in her life to remember her. Florence Pugh’s presence in the film is rich; her understanding of life’s pleasures puts her in the perfect position to weigh the balance between prolonging her pain for the sake of empathy for others and doing what makes her happy for the sake of her memory.

Director John Crowley pulls We Live in Time into a cohesive piece through time jump after time jump with the framing, locations, and coloring. I find time jumps can sometimes make a film feel messy, but bouncing within the same decade in this film without any aging or de-aging CGI made all that bouncing feel smooth. 

The sad autumn girlies will be delighted by this movie. Almut and Tobias’ meet-cute is a car crash; the story is told through various emotional outbursts and quiet clicks of satisfaction. Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield will sweep audiences into an eloquent tale perfectly paired with a warm blanket and a cup of tea on a rainy Sunday afternoon. 

If you asked me whether this film stands out among films of the same genre, I would say yes! However, if you wondered if it stood out amongst the platter of talent and creativity in this year’s films, I’d have to say no. Even though it hit me in the feels, I don’t think screenwriter Nick Payne made enough unique choices in the script to set it apart as a masterpiece.