London Film Festival 2024 – We Live In Time ★★★★

Released: 1 January 2025 (UK)

Director: John Crowley

Starring: Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield

Reviewed By: Martin Richmond

Aside from the usual chatter whenever the Oscars roll around. There was a specific moment during the 95^th Academy Awards last year during the presentation of several awards, that set the internet into a fever pitch. Two actors presenting a couple of awards together is nothing out of the ordinary. However, such was these actors’ immediate and almost palpable chemistry when they shared the stage, it felt like a matter of the utmost importance that someone, somewhere would greenlight a project for them to star in. As luck would have it, the next day, the internet got its wish, with the announcement that Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield would star in a romance helmed by Brooklyn director John Crowley. 

Set in modern-day London, chef Almut (Pugh) and marketing executive Tobias (Garfield) meet in the most unusual of circumstances, and at very different points in their lives. Tobias is coming to terms with the end of his marriage while Almut is an ambitious chef who specialises in a particular style of European cuisine. In the way that life is, when you never know when you will meet that significant someone who could alter the course of your life forever, this by-chance meeting changes everything for Almut and Tobias as they forge a close connection. Over the course of several years, they go through the trials and tribulations that we as human beings can go through such as falling in love, having discussions about starting a family together and coming to terms with the most devastating medical diagnosis one could possibly have during their life. 

It would be easy to think that a film, which, at its core, charts the romance of two people over a long period would be difficult to maintain for 104 minutes. However, Nick Payne’s screenplay has several tricks up its sleeve, chief among them being the use of a non-linear narrative. For instance, it will jump from their first meeting to a more tender and intimate moment in their relationship when they are expecting a child together, to a time several years later when their daughter Ella (Grace Delaney) is a young girl. While it can be quite discombobulating at first with all the continuous time jumps to keep track of where they are in their relationship, the film’s overarching message rings loud and clear. We can be so consumed by the hustle and bustle of our day-to-day routine and activities, that we can forget those moments that we will remember for the rest of our lives. These can, be both joyous and ecstatic or ones where your entire world is brought to an earth-shattering halt, forcing to reckon with your mortality and what little time you may have left in this world to leave something for those closest to you to remember you by. 

These are the moments where the film really hits home, speaking to the universal human experience and will particularly deeply resonate for anyone who has gone through some of these momentous and harrowing life events experienced by Almut and Tobias. It also doesn’t hurt when you have two of the most popular actors (and Academy Award-nominated) of their generation for good measure. As that moment at the Oscars showed, their chemistry immediately leaps off the screen from that fateful first meeting to the extent that you could probably watch them sharing small talk and it would still be compelling to watch. Both actors pour their heart and soul into their characters, with Pugh having shaved her head for the part, and they feel like fully fleshed-out people that you would find walking down the street and chat over a cup of tea. Of course, as they go through those testing and difficult moments, they can make some questionable decisions. However, at no point does the film judge them for it or side with one or the other, because, let’s be honest, humans are messy and can make decisions we might not usually make – especially when dealing with something so harrowing as a life-changing illness.

Bolstered by Stuart Bentley’s cinematography and a sweet, sentimental score by Bryce Dessner. We Live in Time captures the intimacy, romance, and heartbreak experienced by Almut and Tobias with powerful emotional authenticity. The film’s slow and gentle pace may not be for everyone, but above all, it’s a powerful and reflective story that will make you contemplate your life and how you choose to spend your precious time on this planet. It reminds us we only have one life, and it’s up to us to ensure that it is one that is well-lived, filled with moments and memories that we will remember until the end of our days, for better or for worse.