By Mark Fields
Film Tells Dramatic Love Story Out of Chronological Order
We Live in Time is the deeply moving love story of Almut (Florence Pugh), an aspiring chef, and Tobias (Andrew Garfield), a recently divorced corporate marketeer. The broad brushstrokes of their relationship – starting with an abrupt chance encounter – will feel familiar to devotees of cinematic romances. But, this movie stands apart because of its unconventional use of time and also the resonant, authentic performances of the two leads.
The tale of Almut and Tobias is not explored in a straight linear fashion, but instead jumps back and forth in time over the course of their developing relationship, roughly a ten-year span. This unpredictable timeline requires more attention on the part of the viewer, but provides a fresh, and perhaps emotionally insightful, way of telling their story. The time jumps keep us on our toes and attentive to how different stages in their romance reflects their changing perspectives and motivations.
The unguarded portrayals of these characters by Pugh and Garfield also brings a deeper level of connection to the characters and their evolutions. Both actors have had interesting careers, playing roles both mainstream and also more challenging. To see them both together in such strong sync in We Live in Time is truly rewarding. (Also interesting is hearing these two British actors, who so often play American characters, in their own voices.)
Director John Crowley, who also helmed the wonderful Brooklyn with Saoirse Ronan in 2016, demonstrates here again his confident handling of gifted actors. And Nick Payne’s solid screenplay keeps the time shifts coherent. We Live in Time is not an earth-shattering film in terms of subject matter or telling, but the way it distills the essence of a relationship as evoked through two strong performance is perhaps earth-shattering after all.
