Released just over a month ago in the U.S., “We Live In Time” has been compared to well loved movies like “The Fault in Our Stars” and has gone viral online with people showing tears rolling down their faces after the movie. The film has done well in the box office, already grossing more than its production cost. With the high cost of movies and the dominance of streaming, this success is a testament to the film and the message it portrays.
If you have seen trailers for the film, you may be confused as to what exactly the movie is about. The trailers do not seem to provide much insight, they show a family experiencing ups and downs and one of the characters seems to be diagnosed with cancer. I would argue that despite the trailers being somewhat vague, this is exactly what the film is about and what makes it so good.
Beloved actors Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh star in the film playing husband and wife, respectively. The film centers almost exclusively on them and their relationship. There are very few characters beyond the main couple, which adds to the film’s quaint and homey feeling. This feeling is exactly why I found the movie so special. Very little about it was extravagant, it felt very realistic and down to earth, so much so that you could picture yourself in the same place as the characters.
Set somewhere in England, the film follows the couple as they find each other, fall in love and experience both great joy and tragedy. The timeline does not follow a linear pattern as it cuts back and forth in time. At first, I was honestly annoyed by this. I simply wanted to follow their story uninterrupted and with no spoilers of what was coming next. However, upon reflection, I have come to realize the beauty in this setup. Because it moves back and forth in time, the audience gets to know that Almut, Pugh’s character, is diagnosed with cancer, before we see the couple bring their daughter into the world and build a home with her. Because we know what is coming, we can better appreciate the warmth and happiness when it happens.
This appreciation the film delivers adds to its takeaway message, at least for me. If only we knew what was coming in our lives so that we could take the time to be more grateful. In the movie, we are able to revel in their happiness partly because we know what is coming. We yearn for them to appreciate their daughter and soak up all the joy before the worst happens because we know its coming.
Walking out of this film, there were undoubtedly a lot of feelings. There was definitely some sadness, but there was an overwhelming urge to hold those I love closer, tell them what they mean to me more often and to be more genuine with my time. Time is cruel. It takes so much away from us. However, like this movie shows, it is important to soak up each and every second we get. We never know when our time will run out, so use every single moment. All these moments also have a significant impact, the time we spend with others shapes us forever. And so even if we or someone in our lives does prematurely run out of time, they are still with us whether it is in the big things like remembering their accomplishments, but especially the small things like how we crack our eggs.