‘We Live in Time’ Film Review
‘We Live in Time’ hit UK cinemas on New Years Day and has somewhat been overshadowed by the ongoing excitement over ‘Wicked’, as well as social media scrutiny of Robbie Williams’ odd acting choices in ‘Better Man’. Despite the film’s slow creep into the spotlight, it was one of the most anticipated films for romcom lovers and the fans of both Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.
Audiences might be put off by the predictability of the film’s plot, however this certainly is the objective of director John Crowley who demonstrates the familiar, harsh reality that sometimes life is just that, predictable. ‘We Live in Time’ is a love story that is not particularly unique or extraordinarily magnificent. It is a love story that we hear of and see so often which is what makes the film so special.
How do you choose to live your life, or love those around you, when you know you are going to die?
We all have to grapple with this question but for some death comes prematurely, meaning that you must evaluate the life that you are leading much sooner and quicker. The audience watches as Pugh and Garfield fall in, out of, and back in love with each other - their on-screen chemistry is remarkable and the audience is reminded of those intimate moments where we ourselves fell in love (be this with a partner, friends, or with life itself).
photo credits: IMDB
Crowley’s directorial choice of a non-linear structure - flicking between past and present - is at first confusing, but reminds the well-versed romcom watchers of ‘500 Days of Summer’. Much like the 2009 romance, ‘We Live in Time’ makes the most sense at the end - when the viewer is left to reflect upon the life that Almut (Pugh’s character) chose to lead. Spoiler alert - she choses to live her final months doing what she loves, for the people she loves. If I were too describe the film in one word, I would say that it is ‘bittersweet’ - ultimately, it is able to tug at the heart strings so well because it is so realistic. By the film’s end, everyone in the cinema was either teary eyed or full-blown weeping.
To me, ‘We Live in Time’ is a film about love, family and loss. Whilst it has been slow to gain the media’s attention, it deserves a piece of everyone’s time - serving as a reminder to all not to take their life, or the power of their love, for granted.
