The much-anticipated romantic comedy-drama ‘We Live in Time’, directed by Irishman John Crowley, and starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, was released in the UK and Ireland on New Year’s Day. The film follows a couple through their relationship and the obstacles they encounter throughout their time together through a nonlinear narrative. In the film’s opening scene, we meet Florence’s character running, then she picks something off a tree and collects eggs from chickens once she returns to her garden. She then makes breakfast, cracking eggs using three bowls. (This doesn’t seem all that significant at this point, but it will later in the film). We then meet her partner, played by Andrew Garfield, who is still asleep.
We get to see how the main characters, Tobias (Garfield) and Almut (Pugh), meet. After Tobias is hit by Almut’s car on the motorway whilst on his way to purchase a pen to sign divorce papers, he ends up in hospital. The first interaction we see between the two is the conversation they have when Tobias wakes up. Almut apologises for knocking him down, and the two get something to eat. We then find out that Almut is a chef and Tobias works for Weetabix. Almut, surely like the rest of us, is amused by this and says that Tobias must be “really regular”. The simple humour of the scene, along with the chemistry between the two leads, really makes it. The same goes for the rest of the film. Even in the tougher scenes, their chemistry is what makes the audience root for them to work out.
Almut is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and a hysterectomy and chemotherapy are ordered for treatment. Of course, some of the film’s scenes are more difficult to watch, especially during Almut’s treatment. Almut, who initially insisted she did not want children, has a partial hysterectomy, still allowing her the chance to conceive. Eventually, through IVF, she and Tobias are successful and have a daughter, Ella, who is born in a petrol station bathroom. However, some years later, the cancer returns. This time, Almut does not want to go through treatment and get very ill; she wants to make the most of the time she has left.
Throughout the film, despite some of the heavier subject matter, some of its lighter moments are brought about by or involve food. There’s a contrast between the high-end cooking of Almut’s restaurant and the small, comforting foods of Tobias’ world, such as the humour of him working for Weetabix or the scene where he eats a massive tube of Jaffa Cakes in the bath and when Tobias’ Terry’s chocolate orange was “pronounced dead at the scene” when he got hit by Almut’s car. These moments bring a lightness to the film and show an appreciation for the smaller, quieter moments of life. Food is part of Almut’s legacy to her daughter. She wants to compete in a cooking competition despite having cancer but pulls out towards the end, having gotten too weak. By the end of the film, a small part of this legacy shines through when Tobias and Ella, his daughter with Almut, are shown making eggs together, cracking them the specific way Almut showed Tobias.
I very much enjoyed this film, especially its realness and simplicity. It made me think of my life differently and appreciate how important the little moments are. I would definitely recommend this film. 4/5 stars.