When a director decides to cast two powerhouses of acting alongside one another in a romance movie, I am immediately intrigued; the boundless talent of Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield did not disappoint. Nick Payne’s We Live in Time is a romantic comedy drama centring on the lives of Tobias, a once divorced humble Weetabix worker and Almut, a former figure skating champion and now professional chef. I will preface this article with a spoiler warning, but will also add that I do not believe the events or the ending of the film is its most important feature, but rather the incredibly human depiction of Tobias and Almut’s loving relationship despite its hurdles and vicissitudes.
We Live in Time has a non-linear narrative and the film consists of scenes that jump back and forth in time. So we see scenes of the pair living happily together with their daughter before the moment where the two first meet. This non-linear structure did feel initially jarring at the start and I was worried that it would mean sacrificing a full understanding of character and plot, but as the film went on, I understood it was symbolic of the unpredictable spectrum of life from tragedy to comedy. The film’s central plot is Almut’s struggle with ovarian cancer and her battle with chemotherapy; however, his is not the film’s sole focus: it is also about falling in love, navigating the woman’s dilemma of work or children, struggles of infertility, and every shade of humanity in between. The disjointed, non-linear collection of short scenes also encompassed the fleeting nature of precious moments in time. I felt this worked really well alongside Almut’s struggle with cancer which reduces her time significantly.
The film was incredibly sensitive about Almut’s cancer diagnosis. An especially moving moment is when, after a doctor’s appointment, Almut questions whether she wants to go through chemotherapy. Almut tells Tobias that maybe she would like to have “six wonderful and proactive months” over “twelve shitty passive ones”. The couple come to the resolution that Almut will have chemotherapy while trying to live a full and bountiful life planning their wedding, taking part in the highly prestigious cooking competition, the Bocuse d’Or, and caring for their young daughter. I think there is a tendency to believe that illness, especially cancer, is a solely passive, dark, and melancholy time, but it is more multifaceted than that. The film highlights how Almut’s struggle with cancer shifts how she looks at life and how darker moments lead us to moments of complete relief and fulfillment. Pugh’s acting in this film is nothing short of perfection; so true to Almut’s fierceness and competitiveness. She grapples with her chemotherapy with strength and grace while acing moments where she is utterly terrified of being forgotten.
Upon reading ot her reviews of this film I was quite shocked that a general comment was that the writing of this film was clumsy and clichéd at points. My personal view was that the writing combined with Pugh and Garfield’s performance showcased uncomfortable but innately human moments like impassioned arguments, clumsy nakedness, and the awkward grace period of the beginning of their relationship.
I think the film is sensitive to the spectrum of these characters and, though I would agree there are some melodramatic moments, the film is still ultimately grounded in realism. The scene where Almut and Tobias first meet via her running him over is a dramatised version of reality but still plays to the unpredictable humour of unexpected moments in life. This is best shown in the scene where Almut gives birth in a patrol station toilet—an incredibly humorous but also not unbelievable event. Despite these scenes, the film is very much grounded in the beautiful mundanity of life. At its core the film simply pleads us to hold onto those around us because, ultimately, that’s all that matters. The audience doesn’t see Almut pass away, but we do see the loving moments before and how Tobias continues this love in caring for their daughter after. I think the beauty of We Live in Time is not in the poeticism of the script, or a layered and multifaceted plot, but in the human depiction of a loving couple whose time is cut short. It acts as an oppressive reminder that our time is limited and we must make the most of it with those we love.
Printed rating: 4½ stars