We Live in Time viewers break down in tears over Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh’s ‘enchanting’ romance and say it is ‘(500) Days of Summer meets A Walk to Remember’ (however critics aren’t so impressed)
We Live in Times viewers broke down in tears while watching Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield‘s ‘enchanting’ new romance – but the response from critics hasn’t been quite as gushing.
The film, which hit UK cinemas on New Year’s Day, follows Almut and Tobias’ 10 year-romance through three timelines – the couple’s chance first meeting, a shock cancer diagnosis and its eventual devastating return.
Following its release yesterday, fans have been full of praise for the romantic drama, which has a non-linear structure, on X – likening it to cult films (500) Days of Summer and A Walk to Remember.
One gushed: ‘Wow… I’ve just finished watching We Live in Time with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh and I’ve cried for the entire movie.
‘The subject is just… [gut-wrenching] the actors are so touching in their way of acting. Another movie with those great actors another great movie.’
While another dubbed it ‘enchanting and charming’, a third wrote: ‘Well I CRIED at We Live in Time sooo bad! Such a gorgeous yet heartbreaking movie.’
A fourth said: ‘Never want to watch We Live In Time again because i’m still actually really distressed by it but also want to show it to everyone i’ve ever met because it was incredible.’
Meanwhile, a fifth described it as ‘(500) Days of Summer meets A Walk to Remember’ and added: ‘It had no right to be this brilliant.’
The film, which hit UK cinemas on New Year’s Day, follows Almut and Tobias’ 10 year-romance through three timelines. Pictured: Grace Delaney as Ella, Andrew Garfield as Tobias and Florence Pugh as Almut
However, the film – which was released in the US in October and set in South London and Surrey – has had a more muted reception from movie critics.
Giving it three stars, The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw confessed: ‘I wished I liked it more, having found it supremely watchable while not quite believing in any of it for a single moment.’
Dubbing it ‘One Day on shuffle’, the critic was full of praise for Pugh and Garfield’s ‘marvellous’ performances – but took issue with some of director John Crowley’s decisions.
He added: ‘I felt that the film was evasive about the uncinematic reality of what serious illness and death actually looks like.’
Similarly, The Independent‘s chief film critic Clarisse Loughrey argued that the drama is ‘about as cosy as a film about cancer can be’.
Taking issue with the way the timelines jump around, the critic added: ‘Because of the way we leap in and out of these people’s lives, there’s usually very little sense of how Tobias and Almut mutate in the face of love, and [the director] overcompensates by pumping in slightly absurd conflicts to get his point across.’
Arguing We Live in Time ‘thinks it’s a more interesting film than it actually is’, the Huffington Post’s Marina Fang said the non-linear story-telling was the ‘only interesting feature’ of the film.
The critic said: ‘It drops us in and out of various stages of Tobias and Almut’s life together, just for the sake of having a nonlinear structure to signify…something about time.
We Live in Times viewers broke down in tears while watching Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield ‘s ‘enchanting’ romance
Following its release yesterday, UK fans have been full of praise for the romantic drama, which has a non-linear structure, on X
Fans have been full of praise for the romantic drama, which has a non-linear structure, on X – likening it to cult films (500) Days of Summer and A Walk to Remember
Pictured: Mandy Moore and Shane West in 2002’s A Walk to Remember about a young couple navigating cancer
It’s unclear exactly what. Is time the constant drumbeat of our lives? Are time and death the only certainties all of us face? […]
‘The entire film could have unfolded in chronological order — and it would have made no substantive difference.’
John Crowley, who also directed the 2015 film Brooklyn, previously revealed he wanted to work with The Crown writer Nick Payne on a non-linear film – having been inspired by his 2012 play Constellations.
The director told the British Film Institute (BFI): ‘It’s what gives the script an almost metaphysical quality, trying to express something of what it feels like to be on the inside of a relationship so that you get to see a relationship in many different facets rather than just following one line […]
‘It’s not consistent with life, but it is expressive of life, and that’s what we were trying to get at.’
The film is executive produced by Benedict Cumberbatch via his company SunnyMarch.
Florence Pugh and director John Crowley attend the We Live In Time Special Screening at the Ham Yard Hotel on December 20, 2024
Andrew Garfield has admitted he and co-star Florence Pugh were both left red faced after an embarrassing error during a sex scene for their new movie We Live In Time
Last month, Andrew Garfield revealed he and Florence Pugh both left red faced after an embarrassing error while filming a sex scene for the film.
Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, the actor, 41, recalled how the pair failed to hear the director call ‘cut’ and continued smooching despite the cameras having stopped rolling and crew leaving.
‘[Me and Florence are] looking at each other and trying to stay in the moment, but also we can read each other’s mind going “What do we do? What’s going on? Why isn’t anyone saying anything?”‘.
‘I said “It’s not my job to say cut” and she said “It’s not my job to say cut” and this was all happening telepathically’
Andrew then revealed that it was he who finally looked up only to realise the cameras were no longer facing them and the crew had turned their backs.
He went on: ‘Then it was Florence in all her brilliance and jubilance went “Oh my god this is the most embarrassing thing of my life!”‘.
