It’s all about perspective. Six great months living the rest of your life to the fullest or twelve miserable ones trying to survive? Sacrificing present happiness by thinking too far into the future or thinking that way so you don’t end up wasting today? Neither Almut (Florence Pugh) nor Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are exempt from blame for choosing to give these choices life. Neither asks their version of those questions without knowing in the back of their mind that the answer might change. These are merely two people who were thrust together in the most wildly fateful way that are trying to figure out what it is they want and whether the other’s continued presence fits their pursuit.
Written by Nick Payne and directed by John Crowley, We Live in Time seeks to put a twist on its years-long romance mired in the highest highs and lowest lows life has to offer by presenting it out of sequence. So, rather than a chronological progression from their unfortunate highway meet-cute to the diagnosis no couple ever wants to hear (especially not for the second time), we meet them already in love. What’s interesting about this format is not only the ability to move through their partnership via the ebb and flow of emotional touchstones, but also the knowledge that every scene beginning with Tobias alone might bring the revelation we’re dreading. Or, maybe, Almut is simply on the toilet.
Our anticipation of the worst is thus a key component to the dramatic beats this script intentionally sets up for us to hold our breath before laughing when her absence earns a logical explanation…even if that explanation is that we’ve rewound to a point where they haven’t met. It’s a decision that keeps us invested in the journey more than the result—something that couldn’t occur as effectively if we discover said result too soon. We need the room for break-ups and arguments and sentimental declarations of affection to hit with the potency they deserve. Because we owe it to the characters to prove they’re three-dimensional and won’t solely be defined by tragedy.
It’s why one line in particular packs such a punch: “I don’t just want to be her dead mom.” The instant context is strong considering Almut is dealing with the concept of legacy, but its complexity to challenge Tobias’ understandably reductive retort that he and their daughter should already fulfill that role is stronger. One of the best parts of We Live in Time is the conscious decision to call out these examples of selfishly impulsive reactions. Not to erase them from existence since we’re all prone to falling prey to that urge, but to let them out so that they are no longer impeding the more salient and important truths hiding behind their knee-jerk rage.
Because anger is easy. It doesn’t take much to write or perform an explosive scene of unmitigated furor. It does to balance it with the empathy to know it comes from a place of fear. The acting is a huge piece to that puzzle because none of this works without believing Almut and Tobias are soulmates. We must know that no matter how bad things get, cooler heads will prevail due to the respect they have to hear the other out and admit when they’re wrong. That also means possessing the courage to air that grievance in the first place. We all make mistakes. We all get scared about what the response might be that we forget to see what it is.
Garfield and Pugh are adorable in their capacity to shed all pretense of celebrity and embody an everyman vibe ruled by desire. They’re very funny in that way to alleviate the heavy weight that cancer holds on a movie like this too. We need those momentary releases like Tobias storming down the shoulder of a heavily trafficked street in nothing but a bathrobe to buy a pen. We need the laughter that comes from Sanjaya (Nikhil Parmar) and Jane (Kerry Godliman) matching their energy when they suddenly become a part of this story through the most insane circumstances possible. Then there’s also the fiery passion and heartfelt ache that comes from knowing you’re unable to fix what’s broken.
And one must give the filmmaking a ton of credit too because there are some callbacks that take a long time to pay off that the audience in my screening did not miss. It’s a testament to how enraptured we all were in this tale and how honest we were with ourselves to know the inevitable would prove but a small piece of the whole. Because while this is a movie born onto the back of death, it is very much first and foremost about life. About finding someone special. Still learning new things about them years later. Growing together in ways that augment their best traits even though it may seem at odds with the other’s personality.
It’s also about cherishing the time we have rather than planning for the time we want. It seems like a basic notion yet too many people find themselves unable to grasp it. Almut and Tobias are no exception. They almost miss that lesson a few times throughout the film only to eventually come to their senses and realize the quickest way to get what they want is with the other’s help. Don’t therefore be afraid to get hit by a curve-ball every now and then because you might be lucky enough to catch one. Better to take that chance than to not live because you’ve spent all your time ducking. The potential of that pain is what makes the joy so sweet.
We Live in Time premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and opens on October 11th.
The post TIFF Review: We Live in Time is a Moving Look at the Ebb and Flow of a Relationship first appeared on The Film Stage.
