Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield are both actors worth seeing movies for. The two names were enough to put me in a seat to see “We Live in Time” this weekend — despite no real knowledge of its contents.
“We Live in Time” is a fairly traditional — sad — romance film starring Pugh and Garfield as a young couple surmounting the challenges of burgeoning connection, enduring a stressful childbirth and battling a grim cancer diagnosis.
Those three challenges are all presented simultaneously — in a nonlinear structure that feels interesting but which I’m not sure added much to the experience.
Pugh plays Almut Brühl, an ambitious chef who hits with her car Garfield’s Tobias Durand — who works for a breakfast cereal corporation. She’s not so interested in having children — but the film opens with Tobias timing her pregnant contractions. Of course, the two fall in love.
Much of the film’s weight rests squarely on Pugh, as her body drives much of the conflict. As Almut goes through cancer treatment, trains for the “cooking Olympics,” has a child and grows alongside Tobias, Pugh stuns consistently. That’s not to say Garfield fails to deliver a charming, nuanced performance of his own.
The film explores legacy, connection and grief through the pair’s relationship — especially Almut’s decision to pursue “six to eight great months” rather than a passive year. In the face of her cancer diagnosis, Almut dives into her work in hopes of creating memories and an image of herself that her daughter might recall fondly.
“I actually can’t bear the thought of being forgotten,” she says in one confrontation with Tobias.
The film indulges in mundane moments that double as some of its most emotionally resonant. We see Almut quietly observing her surroundings during chemotherapy, the small family learn to ice skate, dishes being done after dinner. The film’s most crushing scene is about making eggs.
“We Live in Time” isn’t a groundbreaking film that made me reassess the meaning of life. It is a charming, interesting and compelling film carried handily by two great leads doing great work.
“We Live in Time” will be playing at the Kenai Cinema this weekend. Check catheaters.com for showtimes and tickets.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
