“We Live in Time,” a modern love story

Everything seems to be going wrong for Tobias. Currently living with his father, he works a dead end job at a cereal company.  While going through a divorce, he’s locked himself out of his hotel room. Overall, he’s not doing well. As he is walking down the street, miserably, he is struck by a moving car. With this chance encounter, Tobias meets the love of his life, Almut, who becomes his future wife and mother of his child. “We Live in Time” is a 2024 film that represents the hardships couples face together dealing with the drawbacks of terminal cancer. 

Tobias and Almut’s story is honest and comforting from start to finish. Starting with the opening scene, viewers are introduced to the complex chef, Almut, played by acclaimed actress Florence Pugh, along with male opposite, Tobias, played by Andrew Garfield. The film proceeds to go back and forth in the timeline of their whirlwind relationship. For the first half, viewers catch scenes of the middle and beginning of their relationship and are left to put the pieces together. The first few opening scenes give us a sneak peek into the birth of their child and other lighthearted family scenes. The beginning of the couple’s relationship will take you away as they first meet when Tobias is run over in the busy streets of London. After he gets out of the hospital, they share a meal at a diner and their love story begins. 

Up until Almut is diagnosed, the couple share lighthearted romantic experiences that build the foundation of their love. Almut is diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, and Tobias begins to show his great gestures of loyalty and affection towards Almut as her illness worsens. A heartwarming scene of him shaving her head before she starts chemotherapy, along with him proposing to her, portray the vulnerability of Tobias along with the suffering Almut was experiencing. 

The film demonstrates these topics in a technically beautiful way, with the use of a calm soundtrack over emotionally complex scenes that give viewers a sense of relief even while watching the couple suffer. Director John Crowley is known for this style of cinematography in his earlier successful films like “Aftersun” and “A Real Pain,” both featuring unique stories and sophisticated characters finding their journey through the long haul we call life.