We Live in Time (2024)

User Review

• 

  Barneyonmovies

  8 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Nick Payne and John Crowley's 'We Live in Time,' is an impactful character story that perfectly portrays all of the hardship, wonder and fragility of real life.
  
  To do this, it follows Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) - a couple who meet in the most random of circumstances, enter into a whirlwind romance, make compromises for their relationship (Almut wants to follow her passions as a chef, Tobias wants to prioritise starting a family), ultimately settle down and navigate pregnancy and having a kid, and then have everything thrown into question by a cancer diagnosis for Almut.
  
  Showing so many highs and lows gives the story its unusual breadth and striking honesty, and that's furthered too by the natural dialogue and Pugh and Garfield's nuanced performances. But the real genius stroke of the film is its non-linear structure which plays with your expectations. At times it keeps you guessing about their fates (you're shown Tobias signing divorce papers after you see the pair living happily together for example, and you see Almut struggling with a diagnosis before they've settled down) and at others it makes you wonder how they got to where you see them later (e.g. their conflict about whether to have kids at all).
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: In-keeping with the film's realism, there aren't really any character "arcs," to speak of; just small changes that they go through with and for each other. That's not necessarily a bad thing; it just means the film has less of a linear message, and more of a cumulative effect.
  
  VERDICT: With the perfect delivery of its non-linear, year-spanning story 'We Live in Time,' is an emotional rollercoaster that shows the ups, downs and fragility of life.

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