Written by: Nick Payne
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Grace Delaney, Lee Braithwaite, Aoife Hinds
Rating: [2.5/5]
Some directors make utilizing non-linear storytelling look so easy it can become commonplace to forget the degree of difficulty in actually making them work. This choice in storytelling, when done incorrectly, can lead to an uneven narrative and one that can cut narrative apart in a way that harms the project as a whole. Unfortunately, that’s the case in We Live in Time, where its attempt sinks a story with a good heart and lovely characters.
With a freshly finalized divorce, Tobias (Andrew Garfield) gets struck by a vehicle operated by Almut (Florence Pugh). Feeling horrible about the incident, Almut follows him back to the hospital where they strike up a romantic interest in each other and begin their love story. As their love progresses, they face trials and tribulations regarding their work, health, and whether they will have a child together.
The amount of good will John Crowley has built with me solely because of Brooklyn ensures every film he makes moving forward will have my attention. It mostly stems from me chasing the high of what his 2015 film evoked, but unfortunately with The Goldfinch and now We Live in Time, my confidence begins to weaken in the possibility of him returning to the glory days. The reasons this film does not entirely work center mostly on the choice of non-linear storytelling, which, in all honesty, did not need it. Utilizing this style makes sense if Crowley wanted to accentuate certain moments through the parallels of the past and present, but instead it does the worst thing possible in undercutting the momentum of the story.
A story such as this one generally has a goal in trying to make the audience cry. An obvious statement when viewing any of the marketing and/or reading the plot synopsis. It desperately wants to go for the jugular as we watch two individuals have a rambunctious meet-cute and build something genuinely beautiful with each other. Naturally progressing through the relationship, with the level of chemistry on display by these two leads, had so much potential, but the way this film cuts and pieces together their narrative harms more than it actually highlights any of it. Too often does a scene begin to build into something meaningful just to move to a different timeline and kill the moment. A frustrating reality given the components of this film that work quite well.
With a story focused on a love between two individuals, this film does succeed in making it believable how much these two care for each other. They certainly have their issues building between them as the realities of life become crystal clear before their eyes, but they’ve built something beautifully resilient together. As much sadness this film seeks to evoke through their circumstances, this film surprised with the humor it also displayed stemming from their first conversation. These two goofballs have so many funny moments together that further highlight the chemistry they hold, which demonstrates the writing deserves credit, but even more so with the leads at the center.
Seeing Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh actually get to utilize their natural accent for a whole film felt incredibly strange. Often having to utilize an American accent throughout their filmography, these two let their British flag fly and, in the process, help sell the relationship between these two characters. Everything between them comes across incredibly naturally, as each emotional moment they have between them feels earned, but unfortunately we get right back to the central issue that plagues the film, as the nonlinear storytelling did nothing but detract from what they built.
A moving story and a couple with chemistry usually provide just enough chemistry to get a romance film across the line as a quality production. All the director would need to do is tell the story as is and not get in the way. Unfortunately, this film’s use of nonlinear storytelling tried to do too much when what exists between these characters brought more than enough to check every box for a strong movie. It ultimately leaves me in a place where I cannot land on a positive place in this film, where even if it contains many positives, at the core of the movie, it simply does not work as a narrative.
