So…We Live In Time came out as part of the 2024 movie schedule, and it broke me, but I mean that in an excellent way.
If you know me, you’d know I’m not the biggest lover of romance movies. Will I watch messy Love Is Blind seasons and maybe check out some of the best rom-coms ever? Sure, on a good day, but most of the time, I don’t get into them. I think a lot of the romance that I see on these reality shows is, obviously, way too dramatic, and then the ones in these movies are just so cliche. They are so unrealistic, and it’s hard to follow.
I understand that when people view these films, they look at them as some kind of escape, but sometimes I need a romance movie that feels real; one I connect to on a different level of emotion. If I’m going to take a break from viewing the best fantasy movies or binging the entire MCU franchise, I need something that’s going to make me hurt.
We Live In Time, starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, accomplished that and more. But personally, no matter how painful this film is at times (as anyone can tell from the trailers), we need way more of these love stories like this.
It’s An Honest Portrayal Of Modern-Day Love
This movie is the most accurate portrayal of a modern day relationship I have seen in a very long time. We can watch all the ‘reality shows’ that we want, but at the end of the day, those Netflix dating series or The Bachelor or whatever it is that you love to watch all manipulate footage and make things way more dramatic than they usually are. None of it is authentic, and the same goes for modern-day rom-coms.
Most obviously, there are the cliche moments, the stage meet-cute and so much more, and while those can be fun, when they are overdone, you start to get sick of them. 2hat makes We Live In Time stand out above the rest is that it really takes a look into modern day relationships and how they grow, evolve and change over time. It shows how they can really happen out of a chance meeting, not from a dating app or a blind date or any of that.
The way Tobias and Almut MEET in the film, without spoiling anything, is a chance encounter. There is literally no way their paths would have crossed if not for what happened to them. Maybe if they had both been on dating apps, there could have been a slight instance, but honestly, the way it happens makes it all the more real.
Love comes at you from out of nowhere, and this film is the perfect example of that. However, it also shows how feelings, values and morals change as the relationship progresses. As things become more serious, you start to bring up the tough conversations that bring on even more challenging conversations. This is real love, compromise, working together and so much more. It's truly beautiful.
It Takes A Look At Living In The Moment
As shown in the trailers, Tobias and Almut suffer through hard times because of health reasons. Again, without getting too deep into spoilers, there are some seriously hard moments in this movie that will hit a certain demographic because it dares to ask the question: if you had limited time, how would you spend it?
We Live In Time has many themes, but one of them is precisely what the title says – that you live in the moment. You learn to cherish every second that you have, no matter what. But there’s also the question of how you spend that time with your family, with your loved ones, the choices you’ve made to impact that time, and more.
It’s a hard concept to get past emotionally, especially if you yourself have experienced this sudden time clock or have lived with a person who has. But it’s a beautiful way to show that life, no matter what, is worth living in the moment, even during the tough instances that question how strong we truly are.
It Shows The Beauty Of Human Resilience In Hard Times
Something that We Live In Time does beautifully well is crafting the idea of human resilience.
Obviously we’ve seen resilience in so many different movies and TV shows. Jon Snow standing against a crowd of soldiers in the Battle of the Bastards in Game of Thrones; Elodie climbing her way up the mountain in Damsel refusing to die; Moana sailing across the ocean to rescue her island in Moana (which I’m sure will be a big theme of the upcoming Moana 2)—all of these are great examples.
But what makes We Live In Time’s moment of resilience so much more heart-wrenching is that there are no fantasy elements. There are no magic beasts or monsters or anything else that these characters have to fight. Their resilience is fighting against their own bodies and the clock of life.
That is something that literally all of us can relate to. Almut’s resilience to make her mark, to show her daughter that life is worth living and to still strive for perfection or as close to it even when you’re sick, is absolutely gut-punching. It also teaches us all a valuable lesson on the meaning of life – how we all must strive to overcomes our obstacles to become better versions of ourselves, even if the world feels like it’s falling apart.
It’s Painfully Real And Tells A Love Story Any Of Us Could Experience
This is the biggest reason as to why we need more love stories like We Live In Time. Again, without spoiling anything, this movie is painfully real. It takes an honest look at the lives we live, the people we allow into them, and how they affect us as we survive each day.
And it’s sad. And beautiful. And heartbreaking. And wonderful. And painful. That is the beauty of it all. That is why We Live In Time is so important.
I knew the moment A24 took this film that it would be great. A24’s best films are some of the most fantastic movies you can spend your time watching, and now, this film joins it. We Live In Time is a painfully honest love story that perfectly captures what it’s like to love and to lose, to have and to hold, to cherish and to grieve, and so much more.
It’s something that not only tells a story of romance but of familial love, of brotherly and sisterly love, of just affection and care in general. When a romance film is able to hit all aspects of that, you know it’s something special.
Look, rom-coms are great and good for a day for you to turn your brain off, but We Live In Time is exceptional. If we had more love stories like this, who knows, maybe the dating culture nowadays would be different. Perhaps the way we look at our relationships would be, too. But for now, I can at least be thankful that A24 made this film and that we’re lucky enough to live in this time where we get to experience it firsthand.
