By: Marlene Orantes
A24’s newly released film We Live in Time, starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, is a romantic drama about Almut and Tobias, two opposite people who fall in love and are diagnosed with cancer. The film goes through many different points of their lives, flashing back and forth from their first meeting to the present day. However, the film’s melancholic ending is foreshadowed throughout, even in the movie’s trailer. We Live in Time is a heartwarming film with a unique way of telling the couple’s love story through non-linear time.
In the beginning of the film, both characters are faced with a troubling decision after Almut’s cancer diagnosis: a year of chemotherapy that could potentially not work or six months of freely enjoying life. This is a difficult decision– not just for them, but for the daughter they have together. After that heartbreaking diagnosis, the film flashes back to when these two characters meet: In a spin on a classic meet-cute, Almut accidentally runs Tobias over and she stays in the hospital to watch over him. That’s when we know that Almut is opening a new restaurant while Tobias, a Weetabix (UK Cereal Company) employee, is getting a divorce from his wife. Right from the start, the film sets up their incredible chemistry that blasts through to the audience. It truly felt like seeing people you know fall in love.
The whole film jumps back and forth from the present to the past, going through their lives as a couple. They show their fights, their reconciliations, their pregnancy, and ultimately their crazy birth. Surprisingly, though this is a romantic drama, the screenwriters and actors still manage to bring out the small laughters that life can bring. The film is pretty comedic for the serious issues being presented. However, it gets extremely serious when need be.
During the present time, after Almut’s diagnosis, she struggles to take care of herself, not because she doesn’t want to, but because she wants to continue living her life normally. She chooses to do chemo, but wants to also participate in a cooking competition, which conflicts with a lot of the things her and Tobias plan, like their wedding. As a result, she does not tell Tobias about it. This then turned into a problem because she had forgotten to pick her daughter up from preschool due to her prep for her competition. The performances by both Pugh and Garfield in their argument scene were exceptional, as both characters were fighting for what they wanted. Almut wants her life to be remembered as joyful to her daughter before she potentially passes, while Tobias wants Almut to take care of her health and herself.
Ultimately, Tobias knows he can’t make Almut not participate in the competition, so she competes. Tobias, though already had “save the dates” for the wedding, he gives it up. This is something that I noticed throughout the film: Tobias gives up a lot of his wants for what Almut wants. Though they are in this relationship together, he ultimately wants what is best for her and her needs. I really struggled with this idea, because all throughout the film, Tobias gave up his dreams for hers. While the circumstances weren’t ideal due to her cancer, it really showed the love he had for her.
After the competition, towards the end of the film, Almut, Tobias, and their daughter all go ice skating, going back to Almut’s roots. Finally, there is a scene where Tobias and their daughter are cooking one of Almut’s recipes in the kitchen. That lovely scene ends the movie.
This film was sad, but not a tear-jerker, which to me means it didn’t live up to the expectations brought by the trailer. Other than that, the film was sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. It was beautifully crafted with stunning cinematography, witty dialogue, and major chemistry between the two actors.