We Live In Time – Film Review

Directed by John Crowley
Written by Nick Payne
Executive Producer Benedict Cumberbatch for SunnyMarch Films
Starring Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Douglas Hodge, Niamh Cusack and Lee Braithwaite

This aptly titled, heart-wrenching theme is not presented in a linear (sequential) way. ‘We Live In Time’ uses that time so well, that we live in the powerful and emotional story for 108 minutes on screen.

The insightful screenplay by Nick Payne, directed by John Crowley, is a richly layered study of accidental love despite the scars of previous relationships, fertility issues and the challenge of serious illness and surgery. It is episodically mixed, as it explores key moments in the journeys that brought ‘Almat’ (a beguilingly strong Florence Pugh) and ‘Tobias’ (a vulnerable, slightly eccentric, Andrew Garfield) together, but continues to play out, as they face challenges not frequently faced by young couples, thankfully.

The writing is sensitive, informed, and clever in its use of light and shade, with some great one-liners. A linear story would not hold as much opportunity for the contrast of moods achieved so well, maximised in Payne’s writing and Crowley’s smooth direction. It is a construction of time you can follow with ease, that allows for a generous helping of humour, as we are intimate witnesses to a physical, emotional and medical relationship, that would draw a tear from a stone.

The film’s treatment of fertility, ambition and difference alone would be a valid enough movie plot, but adding into this the graphic birthing, the physical intimacy of the couple and the recognition of the importance of legacy, Payne weaves a multi-faceted human tapestry that lures the viewer into an emotional rollercoaster of hope, achievement, loss and conclusion.

Finding the right cast who can illuminate the many facets of this modern couple’s journey is a challenge, but in Garfield and Pugh they struck gold. The power, ambition and energy is vested in a young Chef ‘Almat’, in a beautiful, captivating performance by Pugh, contrasted by her vulnerable, loving partner ‘Tobias’, often masked by humourous product placement, used extensively perhaps, to conceal his real back story. The relationship with ‘Tobias’s Dad, ‘Reginald’, a gentle, warm Douglas Hodge is not stereotypical, though entertaining and beautifully played out, as is the refreshing love and support between the Chef ‘Almat’ and her assistant ‘Jade’ in a stand-out performance by Lee Braithwaite. The many supporting cameos of colleagues, medics and family, such as Niamh Cusack as ‘Almat’s’ Mother are all worthy contributors to the sense of family, work and medical support.

It is a story of the convergence of two ‘thirty-somethings’ who shift away from previous love habits to build and create their own lives together. ‘Tobias’ is clumsy and sensitive, ‘Almat’ a real but kind challenge, looking to explore new horizons in her personal life. They work hard at this, as they confront the ambitions and limitations placed on the young couple. The untypical relationship works because it has a heart, integrity and honesty that will help you cope with the devasting cancer storyline that cannot be emotionally ignored.

‘We Live in Time’ is a lovely film about difficult subjects, beautifully related on the page, the screen and in the many quality performances.