An up-and-coming chef and a recent divorcée find their lives forever changed when a chance encounter brings them together, in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.
Chuck says:
There’s a reason A-List actors take home checks in the millions of dollars. It’s not simply that they have the ability to bring characters who once lived on the page to life, but there’s also an indescribable quality about them that makes them innately watchable. This “it” factor is something neither you nor I possess. We lack the charisma that translates to something larger than life on the silver screen as well as a sense of the relatable, that ability to be a mirror for the viewer, in which they can relate intimately to the characters they see. There’s a magic to it all, this unspoken cathartic relationship being the key to bridging our suspension of disbelief.
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield have this quality and John Crowley’s “We Live in Time” is all the better for them. Though its story goes down a well-worn path, we’re invested in the outcome thanks to the genuine, poignant work the duo delivers. Their ability to bring forth intimate details about their characters not contained in the script speaks to their keen insight of human nature. This proves to be the key to this film’s success as our emotional investment in the characters is sound enough that we overlook a needless gimmick Crowley employs.
Tobias and Almut (Garfield and Pugh) encounter one another not in a meet-cute, but in a violent collision. She hits him with her car when he aimless wanders into busy London traffic, he first laying sight on her once he regains consciousness in the hospital. It’s an awkward encounter to be sure, yet an obvious spark exists between the two, one that is fanned when Almut invites Tobias to the restaurant she presides over as chef. The meal is a success, which leads to an impulsive act or two that results in him waking up in her bed the next morning.
What ensues is a whirlwind romance, one replete with its ups and downs, resulting in a tumultuous relationship that at times finds each of them questioning the sacrifices each makes so that it might endure. This comes into sharp focus when Almut is diagnosed with cancer, testing the couples’ love and devotion in ways they had not anticipated. This does not prevent them from having a child, a little girl named Ella (Grace Delaney), who is the light of their lives, the glue that binds them through the rough patches.
While I have laid all of this out in sequential order, Crowley chooses to eschew this traditional approach, going up and down the narrative timeline throughout. A scene from late in their relationship is followed by a sequence showing us how they first met, only to be followed by another far in the future dealing with their daughter and their attempt to tell them Almut is ill. There is seemingly no rhyme or reason for this approach, the technique yielding no shocks or twists. Instead, you find yourself trying to puzzle out just when in their relationship a given scene is occurring by looking at Pugh’s everchanging hairstyle.
This approach does nothing but call attention to itself, yet there are just enough authentic moments to salvage “Live” from the melodrama trash heap. A scene in which Tobias and Ella shave Almut’s head, the parents making a game of this somber moment; Tobias crashing a baby shower so he can make an anguished but earnest apology to Almut; when Tobias learns Almut has been lying to him regarding her job: and the birth of Ella in a gas station bathroom – all of these scenes are rendered with a sincerity that transcends the hoary conventions of the plot, the two leads connecting with the viewer in an intimate, genuine manner that’s all too rare.
Pugh continues to impress with bringing to life yet another of what’s becoming a long line of fierce, determined women. She quietly and steadfastly portrays a sense of unwavering strength throughout that makes the climax even more effective. It seems as if there’s little the actress can’t do. As for Garfield, he shows us a side he’s yet to display, bringing a sensitivity to Tobias that’s relatable. That the actor can convince us this man is vulnerable yet endearing and tenacious is impressive.
In the end, the work of the two leads makes “Live” worthwhile. I was convinced I was watching two people fall in love as well as weather their unjust fate. And while the plot may be filled with hard-to-swallow moments, the duo’s graceful, subtle work makes them go down easy. It’s a testament to their hard work that I was genuinely moved, rather than rolling my eyes in disbelief.
3 Stars
