An up-and-coming chef and a recent divorcée find their lives forever changed when a chance encounter brings them together, in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.
John Crowley’s ‘We Live in Time’ is a weepy romantic drama starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh as two young lovers who first meet after she accidentally runs him over with her car. The story is told in a non linear fashion, moving across key stages in their relationship from their initial meet-cute through to their challenges in having children and coming to terms with a cancer diagnosis. Garfield and Pugh are both good and have solid chemistry with each other, but the story itself is a bit maudlin and predictable, with some of the character choices feeling a little contrived.
Tobias Durand (Garfield) works for Weetabix (in one of the weirdest product placements I’ve seen!) and is going through a divorce, when he is knocked over by figure skater turned chef Almut Brühl (Pugh) and ends up in hospital. There is a spark immediately and that is built on when she invites him to the opening of her new restaurant and they develop a relationship. I felt the nonlinear narrative worked well and helped to overcome some of my issues with the script, mainly in how it allowed Crowley to intersperse the high and low points of their relationship, which wouldn’t have been possible with a more conventionally told narrative. Garfield and Pugh help to elevate the script and there are plenty funny, charming and sweet moments, but I felt it struggled when the cancer dynamic was introduced, particularly in some of the decisions Almut makes which didn’t really ring true for me.
If you’re looking for a good cry then ‘We Live in Time’ may be the weepy melodrama you’re looking for, but for me, this could have been a better and more emotionally involving movie had the script been sharper.
Rating: 3/5
Directed By: John Crowley
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Grace Delaney, Lee Braithwaite, Aoife Hinds, Adam James and Douglas Hodge
'I don't know. I've seen bad men raised up and good men brought to their knees' Train Dreams (2025) 