If it were coming from any other director and starring anyone other than talents on the level of Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, the expectations wouldn\u2019t be so high for We Live in Time<\/em>. This is a perfectly all right movie; it was made with care and skill, but it\u2019s not at the level that one might hope. (I am \u201cone.\u201d My profile header on the site formerly known as Twitter is a banner of Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n We Live in Time<\/em> is an oh-so-modern version of an old-fashioned weepie, which takes a very 2024 approach to the classic tragic romance genre. Award-winning chef Almut (Pugh) and\u00a0Weetabix marketer Tobias (Garfield) are destined to be together from the moment we meet them \u2014 and not just because our first encounter with the couple occurs years into their relationship. We Live in Time<\/em> takes a nonlinear course through their love story, inserting the audience into a moment when they\u2019ve been together for a decade. The script from Nick Payne moves back and forth between periods in their lives, flitting amongst the early days after they first meet, a moment where crisis strikes them, the birth of their daughter, and the months where time seems most precious when their daughter is still young.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n These characters are so precise, both on the page from Payne and the performances from Pugh and Garfield. She\u2019s full of fiery independence, refusing to be defined by any one thing or any one person. Garfield is a master at depicting the moments where the dam is about to burst and his character is close to crying, which happens (unsurprisingly) multiple times throughout the travails that assail Tobias and Almut. He\u2019s simultaneously sensitive and guarded, while Almut is the bolder, brasher one in the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s plenty to fall for in We Live in Time<\/em>. Crowley knows just when to bring a touch of lightness to grave circumstances, and Pugh and Garfield are as adept at gentle comedy as they are at the script\u2019s more crushing moments. While it didn\u2019t wreck me, it also deserves credit for not becoming too maudlin, which would be a far easier trap for a film like this to fall into. The non-linear structure of Payne\u2019s screenplay keeps the movie from feeling like a million others just like it. From an intellectual perspective, it treats its audience as intelligent, not feeling the need to over-explain everything without leaving them feeling unmoored through its time jumps. On the emotional side of things, some scenes are achingly romantic and full of heat. Pugh and Garfield are great together, and it should have made me sadder that their lives were filled with as much sadness as joy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet We Live in Time<\/em> breaks your heart precisely because it doesn\u2019t break your heart. I am a softy who has cried at the trailers<\/em> for two movies just in the last week, but We Live in Time<\/em> just didn\u2019t resonate with me as much as it meant to. The idea of the fleeting nature of every minute is what drives We Live in Time<\/em>, and it does ably capture how special both small and large moments can be in our lives. Yet it also is a reminder that while there are few better ways to spend your time than watching a truly great movie, a merely okay one like this isn\u2019t likely to be what you recall on your deathbed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “We Live in Time” is in theaters this weekend. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/We-Live-in-Time2-1024x683.jpg\")
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