We Live in Time (2024)

We Live in Time is one of those films where the plot isn't entirely new, but its direction, execution, and perspective breathes a new story that you can't help but fall in love with.

I've been waiting so long for this film since it was announced simply on the premise of Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh leading a romantic drama, and they absolutely deliver here. I was notably more enthralled by Garfield's performance, with his little mannerisms, expert timing, and line delivery crafting a character you feel you understand entirely even if the script fails to deliver much to savor on paper. Really hope there's another Oscar nom for him coming up.

Speaking of Oscar noms, this is probably the best candidate for editing I've seen this year. The edit has such a fantastic understanding of what the script is trying to say, using the loose connective tissue of memory to transition from scene to scene to enhance its thematic stance. It lets the performances and visuals breathe in parts, and finds a way to invoke anxiety in others, letting the emotions slowly cook until the ending hits you like a truck.

It sounds hokey, but We Live in Time is honestly about how we live in time, this abstract, intangible construct that at moments feel incomprehensibly infinite, and can feel excruciatingly finite depending on the circumstance. Nonetheless, it never stops.

4.5/5