I have always been a fan of romance movies. From fluffy rom-coms to deep dramas, I have seen my fair share. So of course, seeing the ads and promotions for “We Live in Time” immediately intrigued me.
Described as a “decade-spanning, deeply moving romance,” by IMDb, the film follows the love story of Almut (Florence Pugh), an up-and-coming chef, and Tobias (Andrew Garfield), a cereal salesman and recent divorcee.
The movie was produced by A24, an indie film production company known for its artistic style and thrilling plots, specifically for horror movies. I was highly skeptical of their ability to pull off romance, especially one as deep as “We Live in Time” was expected to be.
The storyline seems like any simple run-of-the-mill romance tale, with two very different individuals meeting, instantly falling in love and living happily ever after. But very early in the film, we learn this is not the case. Almut has stage three ovarian cancer and decisions need to be made that are going to hurt her relationship and career.
Perhaps the most devastating part of the whole movie is that we know how it ends from the very beginning. Almut is going to die, and all Tobias can do is really stand by her and watch.
I am proud to admit I am a longtime Pugh fan. I adore her emotional versatility in every performance she delivers and think she was the perfect cast for a role this demanding and impactful.
Pugh’s devotion to her role both emotionally and physically is very clear throughout the entire film. From shaving her real hair for her character’s various rounds of chemotherapy to wearing a heavy prosthetic belly suit during Almut’s pregnancy for several hours of shooting.
Garfield’s performance was just as, if not even more spectacular. His ability as an actor to portray such raw and real emotions is what allows him to truly captivate audiences. His character had such a deep and beautiful dedication to his co-stars, and his delivery is part of what made the couple’s chemistry feel so real and meaningful to an outside viewer.
The film follows a crazy zig-zag-like pattern, constantly jumping between times and places in the couple’s lives, both good and bad.
There are some lighthearted comedic highs, from the couple’s chance meeting when Almut accidentally hits Tobias with her car, the couple’s beginning stage of falling in love and even a date spent celebrating at the fair when Almut is initially declared in remission.
But as expected there were some painful and heartbreaking lows — following the couple’s struggle with infertility and IVF treatments, Almut’s journey through chemotherapy and treatment options and of course their battle with Almut’s diagnosis and the deep toll it takes on her career and their family.
But despite it all, Tobias stands by Almut, and her final decision to stop any further chemotherapy when her tumor recurs. She instead lives out the last six months of her life filled with doing things she loves.
The film battles with the obvious themes of tragedy and loss, but it also is so much more complex in giving us a firsthand look at the impact grief has on both victims and supporters.
Almut grapples with her projected lifespan and her “unfinished” place in her career. She feels desperate to prove her worth and success to her colleagues, her daughter and most of all herself. The development of her character outside of just her sickness is what made her reality that much more devastating. We were able to see her ambitions and abilities, and her strong stance as both a partner and a mother, yet we knew it was all temporary.
Though romance stories can often feel so cliche and meaningless, I found the film extremely refreshing, despite the heaviness of its themes. Films like these are so important, as they remind us of the true beauty of love and its ability to change and bring out the best in people.
Tobias and Almut butt heads a couple of times throughout the film because of her more stubborn nature and his more reserved one, but they truly did bring out the best in each other even throughout such hardship.
I think the most gut-wrenching movies are the ones that really stay with you. Love and loss exist all around us, and it is up to us to find ways to continue to see the beauty and find the strength to continue despite it all every day.
In a reality where life is so difficult for many people, we often so easily focus on all the things we can’t do or all the factors working against us. “We Live in Time” reminds us that life is a privilege. You still owe it to yourself to focus on the things you do have, while you have them. And the people who stand by you through it all are perhaps the greatest things of all.
