Director John Crowley’s “We Live In Time” is a romantic drama film that worked to balance grief and love throughout a couple’s decade-long relationship, which felt rushed and confusing, leaving an unsatisfactory ending.
With a lot of anticipation leading up to the release, the film was showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6, and was released in the United States on Oct. 7. The film is produced by A24 who are known for producing films like “Hereditary,” “Uncut Gems” and “Midsommar.”
Crowley, an Irish film director, is known for films such as “Brooklyn” and “The Goldfinch.” In 2016, “Brooklyn” won a British Academy Film Award for Outstanding British Film.
Florence Pugh (“Black Widow”) plays Almut while Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man”) plays Tobias.
This story follows Almut and Tobias’s relationship from beginning to end, incorporating flashbacks throughout the film. On his way to find a pen to sign divorce papers, Almut hits Tobias with her car, which creates a whirlwind romance between the two. The story touches on IVF, grief, sickness and the fear of being forgotten.
The film itself was a mashup of different flashback sequences of the couple’s story, which made it confusing and hard to understand.
While the film did have a very emotional message, I found the timeline to be too spaced out, even though the story seemed slow. Even though it was described as a ‘tear-jerker,’ I found the film predictable and all over the place. Although it was a nice movie to watch, I would have preferred to see it at home and not have paid for a ticket. I wouldn’t watch it again, but it does dance around grief and struggle in a way that may be impactful for some people.
I would recommend it to a friend, but I wouldn’t call it life changing. It was a sweet film, it had some important messages, but it just didn’t click for me. The storylines competed for the viewers’ attention and left me trying to create a timeline rather than focusing on the film. There was no clear conflict or resolution, but just a lot of different stories patched into one movie. At the end of the movie, I had a general understanding of what the story was about, but I felt like I was studying the movie more than I was watching it.
The film was full of emotional tension, as well as romance and comedy. The film had a runtime of 104 minutes, and there were many moments packed with dialogue and acting that left some of the viewers teary-eyed. Although it didn’t touch me emotionally, it was clear that Pugh and Garfield demonstrated an incredible romantic chemistry, as well as emotional chemistry. Their connection was probably the best part of the film.
“We Live In Time” was still an impactful film that tugged at the heartstrings of the audience. Even though it was predictable, it served as a reminder that life is only so long, and that we have a short time to make a long-lasting impact.