‘We Live in Time‘ is a directionless film set in the UK with Canadian sensibilities that uses time jumps in a feeble attempt to accentuate the narrative.
Screened at the newly restored Lido Theater in Newport Beach, CA and hosted by the Orange County Film Society, ‘We Live in Time‘ is a meandering film that struggles to find its footing, set against a backdrop of the United Kingdom yet infused almost entirely with Canadian sensibilities that would have been better suited for Montreal. Its clumsy time jumps add no depth or coherence to a narrative about living with a terminal illness. The humor, delivery, sarcasm and timing were all Canadian in styling. It was as if the film was supposed to take place in America’s Hat, but then changed locations at the start of production and plopped in random British dialogue.
Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are thrown together in an bizarre twist when she runs him over while jaywalking on a mission to procure chocolate covered oranges and pens. As they stumble through the chaos of Almut’s returning 
ovarian cancer, Tobias is forced to discover her chase for some misguided legacy for their young daughter, of whom she neglect, ignoring the actual moments to make memories together. Director John Crowley’s decade-spanning “romance” is a pretentious disaster, trying to pass off one man’s unwavering love for his capricious partner as something profound. Instead, it devolves into a tiresome competition between his sacrifices for family and her hollowed ambitions.
Unrelenting in its use time jump trope, we suffer through Almut’s emotional abuse of Tobias in setting out to win a cooking competition that overlaps with their wedding date. Mind you, she had told him shortly after he wakes up in the hospital that she is a chef who creates a fusion of, “Anglo-Bavarian Classics,” if that wasn’t a glaring red flag for him to make a break for it, nothing would have been. Merging the two most unappetizing “cuisines” on the planet and they have the audacity to call her a “chef”? If that description of a culinary catastrophe was not foreshadowing for a troubled relationships, God only knows what else they needed to tell us this romance would be a tragedy. Tobias’ love-conquers-all idealism partnered with Almut’s flippant, devil-may-care attitude is not a classic romance but what would go wrong in life if, Charles Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations‘, became a reality.
Almut repeatedly neglects to mention details of her life, including that she was a world class figure skater, but gave up the sport once her father passed. It took a family dinner to reveal this important part of Tobias’ lover’s life for information that should have come up years ago in conversation. In another time jump sequence, as Tobias confesses his desire for children and that he may be falling for her, Almut disparages his idea of not wanting to resent her after decade if he agree to her then ideology of never becoming a mother. However, the fool that he is, Tobias returns to create a “life” with Almut.
‘We Live in Time‘, no matter how incredibly acted, nor how beautiful the cinematography is, one should not waste their time on a movie that starts off by showing the main character literally picking thyme! Don’t get me started on the eggs and the constant mess she makes in the kitchen, using three bowls to make an omelette.
Rarely does A24 miss the bullseye, but this time they missed the target entirely. ‘We Live in Time‘ is a waste of time, but good luck to you, it’s your $20. Luckily, the Lido Theater is a beautiful venue and its wonderful that this historical building from the 1940s has been to its former glory.
‘We Live in Time‘ comes to theaters in limited release on Friday, October 11, 2024, and nationwide, Friday, October 18, 2024.
To join the the Orange County Film Society, visit: www.ocfilmsociety.com.
To attend the 25th Anniversary of the Newport Beach Film Festival and visit the restored Lido Theater for various films, visit: www.newportbeachfilmfest.com.
Summary
Although brilliantly acted, ‘We Live in Time‘ is a poor retelling of, ‘Great Expectations‘ only with time jumps, making the film annoying instead of interesting.
