Often times the formula for a successful romance film simply comes down to the talent of the two leads an audience is going to spend two hours watching fall in love. There can be other aspects thrown in to spice up the narrative, the way the film is shot, plotted, etc., but if those two leads cannot nail their romantic tension and relationship, then it's all for naught. That’s where “We Live in Time” comes in: tightly paced, warmly lit, and wonderfully dramatic that’s as much of a showpiece for two talented actors as it is a wonderful slice of romance.
Presented in a non-linear format that hops around throughout the film, it follows Almut Brühl, played by Florence Pugh (“Little Women (2019),” “Midsommar”), and Tobias Durand, played by Andrew Garfield (“The Social Network,” “tick, tick... BOOM!”). After Almut accidentally hits Tobias with her car, the pair’s paths cross and they eventually end up dating, living together, having a child, and going through all manner of medical and life issues together.
Pugh and Garfield are fabulous together, perfectly encapsulating the push and pull of all the various emotions one can encounter throughout a relationship like this. They feel like truly fully faceted three-dimensional people, without a shred of flat characterizations to them. You really do believe their relationship across each and every bump along the road. It never feels overbearing or melodramatic, thanks to the talents of Garfield and Pugh keeping everything grounded in their emotional states.
It’s a very gorgeous film as well, each scene dappled with a honey warm glow from the lighting and shot with expert precision by cinematographer Stuart Bentley (“Surge,” “Strange but True”). The musical score from Bryce Dessner (“C'mon, C’mon,” “The Two Popes”) does some heavy lifting when it comes to the emotional state throughout the film, and it all wraps up in a gorgeous crafter production. Whether it's on the English countryside or in a hotel room, it's the kind of film where each place seems like it would be perfect to visit. The film’s nonlinear nature is a bit of a head scratcher; early in the film, it flips back and forth enough to make a great mixture with the romantic tension, but as things go on, it just sort of stops jumping back and forth, as if the filmmakers themselves just didn’t want to bother with it anymore.
Director John Crowley (“Brooklyn,” “Closed Circuit”) crafts a romantic tale that always comes back to his two leads, with virtually every other supporting character popping up briefly before fading away. It’s clear that the movie itself is meant to be entirely about Almut and Tobias’s relationship, with everyone else being merely slight outside observers. Even despite, or in spite, of this, a minor role for Lee Braithwaite proves to be a breakout for the young actor. Braithwaite plays Jade, a commi chef working alongside Almut and they’re a delight throughout the film, injecting a welcome bit of humor and breezy air to the events they’re involved with.
That might make it sound like the script from Nick Payne (“Wanderlust,” “The Sense of an Ending”) is an overly maudlin affair, but that’s hardly the case. While it doesn’t sway from the heavier subject matter, the chemistry of Pugh and Garfield keeps things light, and the script is punctuated with plenty of romantically cliched moments that will make hearts swell and eyes roll with equal measure. It rides that line between self-serious and silly with great precision, and one sequence in the latter half that takes place in a petrol station is one of the most fantastic segments of any film this year.
While it might traffic in some well-worn romantic drama clichés, “We Live in Time” is the perfect example of what happens when you hand some talented actors material like this and they run with it. Pugh and Garfield are just fantastic, and the film is visually and auditorily gorgeous. It might not change the entire genre, but it's a film completely fine with playing within those constraints to excellent results. 4.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment