We Live in Time is a non-linear love story with an emotional impact.

The recent success of Blake Lively’s soapy drama ‘It Ends With Us proves that there’s an audience who still wants to see these romantic tales on the big screen. ‘We Live in Time’ is a more grounded romantic tale than the previously mentioned ‘It Ends With Us’ and includes some of the best young talent working today in, Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. Directed by John Crowley, it takes a non-linear approach to storytelling over a timespan of ten years, gripping us in the highs and lows of the relationship at the center.

Almut Bruhl (Pugh) is a prominent European chef who accidentally strikes down recent divorcee Tobias (Garfield) with her car, landing him in the hospital. Being the nice samaritan that she is, Almut stays with Tobias in the hospital until he comes to, kicking off the start of their romantic relationship. The film jumps around in time, showing audiences the different stages of Almut and Tobias’ unconventional relationship, including all of the joy and heartbreak that comes with it.

While I typically don’t have an issue with non-linear storytelling, ‘We Live in Time’ can be slightly disorienting at first, considering the leads’ appearances don’t change much throughout the decade the film spans. As the story unfolds, it becomes easier to follow which era the film is taking you through, and the excellent performances keep you engaged.

Both Pugh and Garfield bring such realism to these characters.

They make them feel like real people and not stock archetypes from a romantic paperback. They deal with some truly emotional stuff during their partnership, and both actors are absolute pros at showing raw emotion. While the emotional beats do hit, and the talent is undeniable, something about the story still felt predictable. Nothing ever caught me as new or unexpected, but it’s still a wonderful craft from everyone involved.

Verdict

The unconventional storytelling of the weepy drama We Live in Time is sometimes disorienting but always emotionally gripping. Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield both deliver fantastic performances in a story that is both predictable and engaging.