We Live in Time

Directed by John Crowley, We Live in Time follows a young couple (Andrew Garfield’s Tobias and Florence Pugh’s Almut) as their relationship is tested by a series of obstacles (including a life-altering medical diagnosis). Filmmaker Crowley, armed with a script by Nick Payne, delivers a fairly conventional endeavor that grows more and more compelling as it unfolds, and it’s clear, certainly, that the movie’s initial success is due mostly to its intriguing time-shifting narrative and two absolutely enthralling central performances – with, in terms of the latter, Garfield and Pugh offering up charismatic, riveting work that elevates the proceedings on a recurring basis. (And it doesn’t hurt, of course, that the chemistry between their respective characters is off the charts.) There’s little doubt, then, that We Live in Time benefits from an increased emphasis on stirring, mesmerizing interludes and set-pieces, including a terrific mid-movie montage detailing Tobias and Almut’s efforts at getting pregnant and a thoroughly spellbinding argument between the two, which does ensure that the picture’s second half is far more engrossing and emotionally-draining than one might’ve initially anticipated. By the time the moving final stretch rolls around, We Live in Time has confirmed its place as a familiar yet thoroughly rewarding melodrama that contains, at its core, top-flight performances. (And this is to say nothing of one of the more memorable childbirth sequences in recent history.)

***1/2 out of ****