Directed by: John Crowley
Written by: Nick Payne
Run Time: 1 hour 48 minutes

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Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield are two of the most-loved actors of their generation. Their charm is effortless and their talent is irrefutable. It makes perfect sense, then, to pair them together as a couple for John Crowley’s latest drama, We Live in Time.

His film revolves around a young couple, chef Almut (Pugh) and Weetabix rep Tobias (Garfield), charting the course of their lives together across a decade of their relationship. However, their story does not play out in chronological order, instead jumping between three different major periods within this time: the couple’s falling in love, their pregnancy and the recurrence of Almut’s cancer.

To begin with, this structure is slightly off-putting. As with each of the three chapters starting to unfold in turn, it creates a restrictive feeling that sees the film seemingly forever stuck in its opening scenes, struggling to properly progress. Unfortunately, this makes it harder to settle into than if it just played out chronologically as one.

It somewhat interferes with the chemistry between Pugh and Garfield too, with certain moments from the early stages of their relationship being summed up far too quickly. Their first date, for example, is glossed over by way of a montage, and while it’s nicely edited and does adequately allude to their blossoming romance, it neglects to really let audiences in to this important moment of their story – something that later scenes would have greatly benefitted from.

However, with the co-leads’ natural charisma at the film’s disposal it never becomes tiresome and its trifecta of time periods does eventually come to fruition. The constant changing of plot, mood and circumstance is, after all, so indicative of the unpredictable nature of life itself. The often cruel juxtapositions in Nick Payne’s ambitious screenplay demonstrate – with striking honesty – just how suddenly life can change and how little control we really have over it.

His script carries this deft quality of change and uncertainty right through until the film’s final moments. As after eventually allowing audiences to become accustomed to the time-hopping rhythms of its scattered narrative, We Live in Time simply just ends. It’s rather abrupt, but this too feels like a particularly apt way to sum up the horrid experience of terminal illness. It’s an all-consuming struggle and then one day, just like that, it’s all over.

As a whole the film’s approach to its cancer storyline is a sensitive one, thankfully resisting the urge to indulge in too much sentiment or melodrama. Subsequently, it’s actually the section which depicts the couple’s pregnancy that proves most emotional. One scene set in a petrol station is particularly memorable, standing out as the film’s most successful sequence, delivering both humour and heart in abundance.

It’s also here where the film takes complete advantage of its two main actors, demonstrating just what impressive rapport they possess, something that elsewhere in the film isn’t always fully realised. Both Pugh and Garfield are so good individually though, that it’s not pivotal to the film’s overall appeal, but perhaps is just a little surprising that their dynamic isn’t that tiny bit stronger.

However, if Crowley’s film does anything, it teaches us to do away with expectations, because ultimately, absolutely nothing is promised. Almut and Tobias consistently shift their personal priorities depending on what the world throws at them, and in order to make best use of the time they have together. This crucial ability to adapt in the moment and cherish the present is all we really have and We Live in Time is a touching, tactful reminder to make the most of it.

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Star Rating: ★ ★ ★

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