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We Live in Time

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We Live in Time
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Crowley
Written byNick Payne
Produced by
  • Adam Ackland
  • Leah Clarke
  • Guy Heeley
Starring
CinematographyStuart Bentley
Edited byJustine Wright
Music byBryce Dessner
Production
companies
Distributed byStudioCanal
Release dates
  • 6 September 2024 (2024-09-06) (TIFF)
  • 1 January 2025 (2025-01-01) (United Kingdom)
Running time
108 minutes[1]
Countries
  • France
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$23 million[2][3]

We Live in Time is a 2024 romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Crowley from a screenplay by Nick Payne. It follows the relationship of a couple (Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh) over the course of a decade.[4] The film implements the use of non-linear storytelling.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2024 and was released in the United States on 11 October 2024 by A24. It is scheduled to be released by StudioCanal in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2025.[5][6] It received generally positive reviews from critics, with specific praise for the performances, and has grossed $23 million worldwide.

Plot

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The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative.[4] The following is a linear summary of the plot.

Weetabix representative Tobias Durand, while out purchasing a pen to sign divorce papers served to him by his wife, wanders into the road and is struck by a car driven by Almut Brühl, a former figure skater turned Bavarian-fusion chef. At the hospital, Almut offers to treat Tobias and his wife to a meal at the restaurant she works at, though Tobias does not disclose his divorce to her. On the night of his dinner, Tobias, now separated, goes to the restaurant alone, informing Almut about his divorce. The two go to Almut's flat after dinner and have sex. They begin living with each other soon after.

Months later, Tobias expresses to Almut his desire to start a family with her and that he's begun to fall in love with her. Almut rebuffs him rudely, and Tobias leaves without saying a word. Later, at a baby shower for one of Almut's co-workers, Tobias sneaks in and apologizes to Almut for his hastiness while criticizing the way she responded to him in front of all the guests. Tobias once again professes his love to her and they reconcile.

Almut discovers that she has ovarian cancer and explains to Tobias that her gynecologist has recommended that she get a hysterectomy to prevent the cancer's worsening. Though Tobias intends to respect Almut's decision, she chooses to undergo treatment until her cancer eventually goes into remission. After numerous subsequent attempts to conceive a child, Tobias and Almut are happy when she manages to get pregnant. On New Year's Eve, she gives birth to a baby girl in a petrol station bathroom after she and Tobias had their car stuck in traffic on their way to the hospital.

Around three years later, Almut, now working as the head chef in her own higher-scale restaurant and having moved with her family to a small cottage and farm, begins feeling pains in her waist. At the doctor, Almut and Tobias learn that her cancer has advanced to stage 3, and that she would need to begin chemotherapy as soon as possible before any surgery to remove the tumor can take place, though there is still no guarantee of survival. Almut, hesitant to undergo treatment again, proposes living “6 to 8 great months” instead of spending her potential last months sick and in agony. They explain the situation to their young daughter, Ella. After Tobias finally proposes marriage to Almut, she makes the decision to undergo treatment.

Around the same time as her diagnosis, Almut is invited by one of her colleagues, Simon, to participate in the Bocuse d'Or, arguably the most prestigious cooking competition in the world. Despite her training conflicting with both her treatments as well as her wedding, she agrees to compete; Almut and her commis Jade win the UK selections and reach the finals: but they take place in Italy on the day of Almut and Tobias's proposed wedding ceremony. When Tobias discovers this, he angrily scolds her for choosing the competition over her life and family, and Almut responds that she would rather her daughter remember her as an accomplished chef than merely someone she watched get sick and die. Tobias begrudgingly cancels their wedding and agrees with Almut to continue training for the finals, which she has advanced to.

In Italy, in June, Tobias and Ella attend the finals of the Bocuse d'Or and watch Almut cook. As the weaker Almut begins to falter at the end of the plating of the last dish, she lets Jade take control, and they successfully finish in time. Almut promptly leaves with Tobias and their daughter afterwards and they go skating at a nearby ice rink.

Some time later, Tobias and Ella return home from their chicken coop alone alongside their new dog, which Almut and Tobias had earlier more or less seriously considered getting for Ella, to help her psychologically if her mother should die. Tobias then teaches his daughter how to crack an egg, just as Almut had taught him.

Cast

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Production

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Nick Payne developed the script for We Live in Time with StudioCanal. The film is executive produced by Benedict Cumberbatch for his London-based company SunnyMarch; also producing are Leah Clarke, Adam Ackland for SunnyMarch, and Guy Heeley for Shoebox films, as well as Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin for StudioCanal.[9]

In March 2023, Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh were in talks to star in the film, which was announced shortly after Garfield and Pugh presented an award together at the 95th Academy Awards.[9] Principal photography began in London in April 2023, with cast and crew reported in Herne Hill.[10][11] Later that month, they were spotted at a Co-op in Blackfen.[12]

Release

[edit]

In May 2023, A24 acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[13] StudioCanal handled worldwide sales and will distribute directly in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Benelux, Australia and New Zealand.[14] A first look image of the film displaying the leads sharing a "cute scene" became an internet meme due to the presence of an "ugly carousel horse" in frame.[15][16][17][18]

We Live in Time premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2024.[19] For its European premiere, it was selected to close the official selection of the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival, playing out of competition.[20] A24 scheduled the film for a limited theatrical release in the United States on 11 October 2024 and for a wide theatrical release from 18 October 2024.[21] The film will be released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 1 January 2025.[22] Beta Fiction Spain will release theatrically the film in Spain on 3 January 2025.[20]

Reception

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Box office

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In its limited opening weekend in the United States and Canada, the film made $232,615 from five theaters, an average of $46,523 per venue.[23] Expanding to 985 theaters the following weekend the film made $4.2 million, finishing in fifth.[24] Playing in 2,924 theaters in its third weekend, the film made $4.8 million and remained in fifth place,[25]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 156 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh's palpable chemistry will snatch audiences' hearts before breaking them in We Live in Time, a powerful melodrama that uses its nonlinear structure to thoughtfully explore grief."[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[27] Audiences surveyed by PostTrak gave the film an 83% overall positive score, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend it.[25]

Benjamin Lee, for The Guardian, gave the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote, "I found its throwback nature to be immensely charming, a big, full-throated romantic drama that knows exactly how to make us swoon as well as make us sad. I hope there’s time for more like it."[28]

In her review for The New York Times, Manolha Dargis praised the character of Almut, and Pugh's performance but found the film only "trie[d] to be modern".[29]

Brianna Zigler, writing for The A.V. Club, called the film "unimaginative and weirdly regressive," and opined that Garfield and Pugh, while "likable and sweet" were also "thin" and "boring", and were not convincing in their depiction of their characters' relationship. Zigler also did not think Almut's decisions regarding her cancer and motherhood were plausible.[30]

Brian Tallerico at RogerEbert.com, who gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, said that Pugh and Garfield elevated what was otherwise a shallow script, and singled out Garfield in particular as the standout performance. On the nonlinear narrative, Tallerico thought that while appearing to be random at first glance, it exhibited "an emotional logic" upon a closer examination, in a way that evoked the way a person may remember key moments in their life as it comes to an end. Tallerico was uncertain if there were not too many time jumps, commenting, "The chronological jumble will be a dealbreaker for some people who like their weepers straightforward", but speculated that the challenge in making this structure work is what attracted the actors to the project in the first place.[31]

Reviewing the film for Variety, Peter Debrugge thought the sequences in which the scenes were laid out was arbitary, and in a way that made mapping out nonlinear narrative difficult. Debrugge wondered if there was a "way to unscramble" the film.[32] Glenn Whipp of the Los Angeles Times had a similar appraisal of the sequencing of the scenes, which he felt did not elevate the film's concept. While Whipp praised Pugh and Garfield, he felt that the film's execution of the non-linear structure distanced the audience from the two performers, rendering Almut and Tobias as concepts rather than characters.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "We Live In time (2025)". Irish Film Classification Office. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  2. ^ "We Live in Time". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  3. ^ "We Live in Time – Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b Bahr, Lindsey (9 October 2024). "Movie Review: Life flies by in Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield romance 'We Live In Time'". ABC News. The Associated Press. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Andrew Garfield on Florence Pugh Sex Scene That Went "Further Than It Meant To"". Cosmopolitan. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  6. ^ Shafer, Ellise (7 October 2024). "Andrew Garfield Says Sex Scene With Florence Pugh in 'We Live in Time' Went a 'Little Bit Further' Than Intended: 'We Never Heard Cut'". Variety. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  7. ^ Goldberg, Alyssa. "Florence Pugh falls in love and runs Andrew Garfield over in 'We Live in Time' trailer". USA Today. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  8. ^ "We Live In Time". A24. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (14 March 2023). "Florence Pugh And Andrew Garfield To Star In 'We Live In Time' For StudioCanal And Sunny March". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  10. ^ Hill, Herbie (2 April 2023). "Film starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh to shoot in Herne Hill on Monday, according to local rumours". Southwark News. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  11. ^ Bashforth, Emily (3 April 2023). "Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield prove they get on like a house on fire as they film 'immersive love story' We Live in Time around London". Metro. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  12. ^ Greenwood, Keely (17 April 2023). "Actors Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield spotted filming new movie at Co-op in Blackfen, Bexley". Kent Live. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  13. ^ Kroll, Justin (12 May 2023). "A24 Takes Domestic Rights To Andrew Garfield-Florence Pugh Studiocanal Pic 'We Live In Time'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  14. ^ "Andrew Garfield-Florence Pugh, James McAvoy Movies, and 'Animal Kingdom' Lead Studiocanal Cannes Sales Bonanza". Variety. 5 June 2023. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  15. ^ Di Placido, Dani (15 August 2024). "The 'Ugly Carousel Horse' Meme, Explained". Forbes.
  16. ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (7 September 2024). "Andrew Garfield Joins In On We Live In Time Viral Horse Meme". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  17. ^ Anderton, Joe (7 September 2024). "Andrew Garfield responds to We Live in Time's viral horse meme". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  18. ^ Yeo, Amanda (15 August 2024). "Horrible We Live in Time horse becomes instant meme". Mashable. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  19. ^ Jeremy Kay, "Ron Howard’s ‘Eden’, John Crowley’s ‘We Live In Time’ among Toronto world premieres" Archived 29 July 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Screen Daily, 9 July 2024.
  20. ^ a b Tabbara, Mona (2 September 2024). "John Crowley's 'We Live In Time', starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, to close San Sebastian". ScreenDaily.
  21. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (30 May 2024). "A24 Dates Fall & Holiday Slate With 'The Front Room', 'A Different Man', 'We Live In Time', 'Heretic' & 'Baby Girl'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  22. ^ Stedman, Emily (30 July 2024). "Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield's new movie confirms UK release date". Digital Spy.
  23. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (13 October 2024). "Clown Vs. Clown: Terrifier 3 Shows Teeth With $18M+ As Joker 2 Posts Record Drop For DC Character Pic; Awards Season Darlings Shriek – Sunday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (20 October 2024). "Smile 2 Happier With $23M Opening; A24's We Live In Time Making Dime With $4M+, Anora Wows With Massive $90K Theater Average – Sunday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  25. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (28 October 2024). "'Venom: The Last Dance' Trips Stateside With $51M Opening, But Makes Up For Shortfall Abroad – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  26. ^ "We Live in Time". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 4 November 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  27. ^ "We Live in Time". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  28. ^ Lee, Benjamin (7 September 2024). "We Live in Time review – Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh charm in heartfelt weepie". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  29. ^ Dargis, Manohla (10 October 2024). "'We Live in Time' Review: A Tear-Jerker With Jump Cuts". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  30. ^ "Bland and unromantic, We Live In Time wastes it". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  31. ^ "We Live in Time movie review & film summary (2024)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  32. ^ Debruge, Peter (7 September 2024). "'We Live in Time' Review: Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield Have Genuine Chemistry in Contrived Cancer Drama". Variety. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  33. ^ Whipp, Glenn (10 October 2024). "Review: 'We Live in Time': Dying from cancer, the charming and curated version". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
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