Sometimes a movie trailer drops and you just know. You see two actors with that specific kind of lightning-bolt chemistry—the kind that makes you feel like an intruder just by watching the screen—and you realize your tear ducts are in for a rough ride. That is exactly what happened when the first footage of We Live in Time hit the internet. It wasn't just the sight of Florence Pugh with a buzzcut or Andrew Garfield looking devastatingly soft in a knit sweater. It was the vibe.
John Crowley directed this. If that name sounds familiar, it's because he’s the guy who gave us Brooklyn, a movie so earnest it basically redefined the modern period romance. But with this new project, Crowley is doing something different. He's playing with time. He's messy with it. Honestly, it’s about time someone moved away from the linear "boy meets girl, boy loses girl" structure and actually showed what a decade-long relationship feels like in your head. It’s a jumble of memories, right? You don't remember your life in a straight line. You remember the big stuff. The car crash. The birth. The diagnosis.
What actually happens in We Live in Time?
The plot of We Live in Time isn't some high-concept sci-fi gimmick, despite what the title might suggest to some people. It’s a deeply grounded, non-linear drama. We follow Almut (Pugh), an ambitious chef, and Tobias (Garfield), a recent divorcee whose life is a bit of a stall-out. Their "meet-cute" is actually a "meet-trauma"—she hits him with her car.
It’s hilarious in a dark way.
From there, the film fractals out. We see them falling in love, we see them navigating the terrifying waters of a cancer diagnosis, and we see them raising a daughter. Nick Payne wrote the screenplay, and if you know his stage work (like the play Constellations), you know he’s obsessed with the "what ifs" and the way moments echo across different versions of our lives. In this film, the echo is literal. The movie jumps between three distinct timelines, forcing the audience to piece together the emotional weight of a scene based on what we already know happens in the "future" or "past."
The non-linear structure isn't just a gimmick
Most people hate "jumping around" in movies. It can be confusing. It can feel like the director is trying to be too clever for their own good. But here, the non-linear storytelling in We Live in Time serves a very specific purpose. It mimics the way grief and nostalgia actually function in the human brain.
Think about it. When you’re sitting in a hospital room, you aren't just thinking about the IV drip. You’re thinking about that one time you burned the toast three years ago and laughed until you cried. You're thinking about the first time you realized you wanted to spend forever with the person sitting in the plastic chair next to you. By weaving these moments together, Crowley makes the stakes feel immediate. We see Almut's professional peak as a chef happening simultaneously with her physical decline. It’s brutal. It’s life.
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- The Early Days: The awkwardness of a new relationship after Tobias’s divorce.
- The Family Years: The chaotic, beautiful reality of young parenthood.
- The Crisis: Navigating the healthcare system and the existential weight of mortality.
There’s no "Part 1" or "Part 2." It’s all happening at once. The editing by Justine Wright is key here. She manages to bridge these gaps without making the viewer feel lost, using visual cues—like Almut’s hair length or the lighting of their London apartment—to signal where we are in the journey.
Why Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield are the perfect pair
Let's be real: casting is 90% of the battle with a movie like this. If you don't believe these two people like each other, the whole thing falls apart. Luckily, Pugh and Garfield are arguably two of the best actors of their generation, and their off-screen friendship clearly translated into a deep onscreen intimacy.
Florence Pugh has this incredible ability to be both incredibly tough and heartbreakingly fragile within the same ten seconds. In We Live in Time, she plays Almut with a sort of frantic energy. Almut is a woman who wants to leave a mark on the world through her culinary art, and the diagnosis isn't just a threat to her life—it’s a threat to her legacy.
Then you have Andrew Garfield. He’s the king of the "yearning" look. As Tobias, he’s the steady anchor. He’s the one trying to hold the pieces together when the world is cracking open. The chemistry isn't just about the romantic scenes; it's about the way they argue. It’s about the silence between them. Honestly, the scene in the trailer where they’re just lying in bed talking feels more intimate than most big-budget sex scenes.
Real talk about the "Sad Movie" trope
There’s a segment of the audience that sees a movie like We Live in Time and says, "Nope, too sad, not doing it." And yeah, it’s a tearjerker. A24 (the studio behind the film) knows exactly what they’re doing. They’ve cornered the market on "elevated" sadness.
But calling it a "sad movie" is kind of a disservice. It’s a movie about the value of time. Benedict Cumberbatch actually served as an executive producer on this via his SunnyMarch production company, and he’s spoken about how the script avoids the typical "sick flick" cliches. It’s not about the dying; it’s about the living that happens in spite of it.
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It reminds me a bit of Terms of Endearment or even About Time, but without the time-traveling closets. It’s much more visceral. It’s about the mundane stuff—the grocery shopping, the school runs, the making of a massive, competitive-level cake while you’re exhausted from chemo.
Why the kitchen scenes matter so much
Almut is a chef. This isn't just a background detail. In many ways, the kitchen is where the movie's heart beats. Cooking is an act of creation that is inherently temporary. You spend hours making something beautiful, and then it’s gone in twenty minutes. It’s a perfect metaphor for the central theme of the film.
There’s a specific focus on the "Bocuse d'Or," which is basically the Olympics of the culinary world. Almut’s obsession with competing in it while her health is failing creates a massive point of tension with Tobias. He wants her to rest; she wants to exist. It’s a nuanced take on the "supportive partner" trope. Sometimes, the most supportive thing you can do is let someone burn brightly, even if you’re scared the flame is going to go out sooner because of it.
The A24 Factor and the Viral Horse
We can't talk about the lead-up to this movie without mentioning the horse. You know the one. The promotional still featured Pugh and Garfield on a carousel, and in the corner, there was this absolutely deranged-looking yellow carousel horse. It went viral instantly.
While it seems like a silly internet moment, it actually helped the movie’s "Discoverability" on Google and social media immensely. It gave a heavy, emotional drama a point of entry for people who might usually skip a prestige romance. It made the film feel accessible and human. Even A24 leaned into it, proving they still have the best marketing team in the business. They know that to get people into seats for a movie about mortality, you might need a weird-looking horse to get them through the door.
How We Live in Time handles the "Big Questions"
The film doesn't offer easy answers. It doesn’t tell you that everything happens for a reason. It doesn't suggest that love is a cure for cancer. It’s much more honest than that. It suggests that love is the thing that makes the inevitable pain of life worth enduring.
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It also touches on the specific pressures of modern womanhood—the "having it all" myth. Almut is trying to be a world-class chef and a present mother and a surviving patient. The film shows the toll that takes. It shows the anger. Pugh is so good at playing angry. Not "movie angry" where she throws a vase, but "real life angry" where she’s just tired and frustrated that her body isn't doing what she wants it to do.
Key takeaways for viewers
If you're planning on sitting down with We Live in Time, here is what you actually need to know to get the most out of the experience:
- Pay attention to the hair: It’s your best compass. Almut’s hair changes significantly across the three timelines. If she’s got the buzzcut, you’re in the "present/treatment" era. If it’s longer and blonde, you’re likely in the "early romance" phase.
- Lean into the humor: The movie is surprisingly funny. The "meet-cute" with the car is just the beginning. The banter between Garfield and Pugh feels improvised and lived-in. Don't feel guilty for laughing in between the heavy stuff.
- The ending isn't a "twist": This isn't a thriller. Don't spend the whole movie looking for a secret reveal. The "point" of the movie is the journey itself, not a shocking final frame.
- Bring tissues: No, seriously. Even if you think you’re "above" crying at movies, the final act of this film is designed to dismantle your emotional defenses.
Actionable insights for the audience
For those who find themselves moved by the themes of the film, there are a few ways to engage with the story beyond just watching it.
- Watch John Crowley’s Brooklyn: If you loved the emotional texture of this film, his previous work is a masterclass in quiet, powerful storytelling.
- Explore Nick Payne’s plays: If the non-linear structure fascinated you, read Constellations. It’s a short, brilliant play that uses a similar "multiverse" or "shifting time" mechanic to explore a relationship.
- Support cancer research: The film’s depiction of the disease is grounded in reality. Organizations like the American Cancer Society or Cancer Research UK offer resources for those going through what Almut and Tobias face.
- Cook a meal for someone you love: It sounds cheesy, but after seeing Almut’s passion for food, you’ll understand why the act of feeding someone is such a core part of the human experience.
Ultimately, We Live in Time succeeds because it doesn't try to be a "big" movie. It’s a small story about two people who happened to hit each other with a car and decided to stay together for as long as the clock would let them. It reminds us that time isn't something we have; it's something we are. We are the sum of those scattered, non-linear memories. And if we’re lucky, we have someone like Tobias or Almut to share those fragments with.
The movie leaves you with a heavy heart but a clear mind. It’s a reminder to stop waiting for the "perfect" time to live, because the time we have is usually messy, non-linear, and shorter than we think. Go see it, cry a bit, and then go call someone you love. It’s what Almut would do. High-stakes cooking optional.