“It’s OK not to be OK.” That’s the line in the new trailer for John Crowley’s We Live In Time that ultimately got me. I finally choked back a sob, and realized – like with so many of Crowley’s movies – that I was going to be a bawling mess by the end of this romantic drama. Not that anyone should really be surprised. We Live In Time basically had me at “Florence Pugh falls in love with Andrew Garfield.” I love the two of them. And we learned there will be a few steamy scenes. What more do you need? But for the rest of you, there’s a new trailer for the upcoming A24 movie, which reaches theaters later this year. Press play on it right now:
The We Live In Time trailer seems to have it all. There’s a traditional “meet cute” moment, where Florence Pugh’s character Almut gets to know Andrew Garfield’s Tobias after hitting him with her car. Where the rest of us would be bogged down in police reports and insurance claims, these two fall in love, explore themselves sexually, and eventually have a beautiful daughter. It’s a dream come true!
Then, it all turns into a nightmare. The highs of family life and romance come crashing down as Almut is diagnosed with a crippling disease, and these two characters come to understand that life is a roller coaster ride of dips, turns, and the type of drops that has your stomach doing loop-de-loops. Never a great time.
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield are so incredibly talented. They are credible and welcome in basically any genre, and have transitioned from comedy and horror (like the terrifying Midsommar) to musicals and superhero fare. Yes, of course, this is Spider-Man falling in love with Yelena Belova, soon to be star of the upcoming Marvel movie Thunderbolts. But we’re happy to see these two actors, in particular, expand their horizons beyond comic-book fare. Personally, I’d happily follow either of these two anywhere. Even to the complicated and scandalous Don’t Worry Darling.
My one concern about the trailer for We Live In Time is that it might give too much of the movie away. We get courtship, family life, disease… how much more of this charming couple’s journey remains to be found in the theater. Then again, with a movie like this, it’s not so much the destination as it is the steps we take to get there, and I think most audience members will just appreciate living a cinematic life with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.
It was recently revealed that John Crowley’s We Live In Time will play at the Toronto International Film Festival ahead of its bow on October 11. Keep your eyes peeled on this space for more details regarding the film, including our reaction and review once we are able to screen it at TIFF 2024.
