When Almut (Florence Pugh) literally collides with Tobias (Andrew Garfield), they are sent on an adventure of love, cancer, and time in We Live in Time.
Pugh and Garfield are both fantastic. Their chemistry is electric from when Tobias’s eyes open following the accident. Almut and Tobias are opposites in many ways. Tobias isn’t the most confident person. He struggles to speak his mind. The few times he does attempt to persuade Almut, it doesn’t work well. Tobias tends to look ahead to where things could be instead of staying in the present
Almut is a competitor at heart. In her youth, she was a figure skater seemingly on the path toward international acclaim. When Tobias meets her, she’s about to open a new restaurant as a head chef. The feisty nature never leaves Almut, even after her diagnosis. Almut is steadfast in maintaining the best life possible. She may speak her mind more than Tobias, but Almut does keep secrets.
We Live in Time is fantastic whenever Almut and Tobias share the screen, but the film’s structure has several issues. The nonlinear story takes away from the romance rather than enhancing it. However, once the cancer story begins, the nonlinear structure goes away.
Pugh’s ability to portray pain, fear, and determination is fantastic, and it certifies her as the best actress under 30. Garfield has less weight to carry. However, he does so much with a nod and a sheepish smile that says more than an Aaron Sorkin deluge of dialogue could convey. He rises to the occasion every time the volume needs to go up.
A food competition subplot provides Almut with something to do while battling cancer, but it lacks depth. An easier path would have been to see Almut try to open another restaurant or continue to work.
Overall, We Live in Time is a moving love story featuring two of the best performances of 2024. However, the nonlinear storytelling and food competition subplot hampered it a bit.
With the overview and general thoughts complete, here’s a closer look at how Tobias and Almut confront time differently and the singular fear Almut’s cancer battle instills.
Fearing the Past and Future in We Live in Time
Almut and Tobias fear different aspects of time. Thoughts of the future consume Tobias, while Almut prefers to put the past behind her.
Tobias’ concern about the future can wane from logical and charming to downright controlling. Tobias’ best moment is when he lets Almut take her time deciding what course of action she wants to take in battling cancer. He’s also pretty awesome during Almut’s attempts to get pregnant and during the pregnancy himself. He constantly times her contractions and sits with her while waiting on pregnancy results. His worst moment is a discussion about kids. Tobias wants children. Almut is unsure, leaning toward not wanting them. Due to feeling like time is running out, Tobia’s insistence nearly torches the relationship.
Meanwhile, Almut’s fear is rooted in the past. Her father’s illness caused her to give up competitive figure skating. She keeps this secret, competitive past away from Tobias. Later, she holds another secret tied to the present and could impact her future.
The different ways these two characters process the past and work to carve out a future together is the beat that keeps We Live in Time ticking.
Unforgettable Almut
The biggest source of conflict between Almut and Tobias is her decision to compete in a stressful cooking competition while battling cancer. More importantly, she hides her competition from Tobias.
From Tobias’ perspective, the stress of the competition could make Almut worse. However, Almut fears dying from cancer and being forgotten by her daughter.
The food competition subplot doesn’t match the quality of Almut and Tobias’ pregnancy journey or their early relationship struggles and triumphs. However, Almut’s secret pays off in one of the best scenes in the movie.
We Live in Time Final Thoughts
We Live in Time shines when focusing on the love story and Almut’s cancer battle. Unfortunately, the nonlinear structure sometimes gets in the way of the romance instead of enhancing it, and the food competition drags down the film’s already slow pacing. The performances by Pugh and Garfield are enough to make this a must-watch 2024 film, even if it falls short of the year’s best films.
The Review
We Live in Time
PROS
- Florence Pugh's status as the best under-30 actress goes unchallenged in another demanding role.
- Andrew Garfield is a perfect sheepish counterpart to Pugh's Almut.
- The juxtaposition between Almut's fear over being forgotten vs Tobias urging her to focus on her health so she can physically be present is riveting.
- There isn't a more charming sequence this year than Almut's pregnancy saga.
CONS
- Nonlinear structure does a disservice to the captivating love stoy.
- Food competition doesn't have enough depth.
