Review: “We Live in Time” emphasizes that there is nothing to waste

By Cameron McCollum | photographer

Going into the cinema, I expected to sit down and enjoy a romantic drama film starring two lead actors who have an incredibly diverse, award-winning and critically acclaimed film portfolio. When the friend next to me said the theater in her hometown would provide free tissues, I knew I was in for a truly emotional cinematic experience.

Readers beware! This review contains spoilers.

“We Live in Time” captivates audiences with the beautiful life story of Tobias, played by Andrew Garfield, and his partner Almut, played by Florence Pugh, and reminds us of how to love despite the reality of longing and loss to live in the present.

Produced by A24, directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Payne, this film is told cinematically using a non-linear plot. Since the scenes constantly skip around different time periods between Tobias and Almut’s relationship, the audience is only offered snippets of what’s to come.

Almut works as a critically acclaimed chef and aims to win the highest trophy in the European culinary world, while Tobias is a spokesman for his company. Fatefully, the characters first meet after Almut hits Tobias with her car and places him in a neck brace and arm sling.

A notable aspect of the film is the layering of themes at each time jump. It almost felt like separate storylines that all came together in the end to form a complete story of Tobias and Almut. The characters react to each other in different ways, from love at first sight to fighting at first shock when Almut is diagnosed with cancer. The combination of trials and tribulations with joy and passion that couples experience throughout their years is beautifully portrayed in this film.

The true beauty of “We Live in Time” lies in its cinematography. A flaw in modern film is the lack of emotional expression in color tones. However, Crowley’s lighting design shows the hope and depression that the characters experience without allowing the audience to digest the words.

The film also uses various hand-held camera techniques for scenes that need to draw in the audience, while Hallmark-esque frames dominate euphoric scenes.

Plot-wise, I was surprised by the film’s consistent theme of parenthood. As an audience, we are introduced to the conversation that most couples have as their relationship progresses: “Do we want children?” Whatever your thoughts on the subject, Tobias and Almut’s journey from birth in the most unlikely of places to having their first Ice skating as a family will bring watery eyes to most viewers.

Also – viewers be warned! There are as many sex scenes as there are puke scenes in We Live in Time. So if you go to the theater with a queasy stomach, be sure to pack a barf bag along with your tissues.

At the end of the film, Almut’s character comes full circle as she overcomes her greatest culinary challenge yet: being a mother who will never be remembered as weak and a person who can never say she has given up.

This film is a quick-burn romantic novel that ignites quickly and captures the strange way time unfolds. We all live in the construct of time, and the film serves as a reminder of that – to live as much as we can, while we can.