(Local report from Toronto, Canada) The love story “We Live in Time'' starring Andrew Garfield of “The Amazing Spider-Man'' series and Florence Pugh of “Midsommar'' was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. After the premiere, it will be released in theaters on October 18, 2024. The screenplay was written by Tony Award-nominated Nick Payne, who has worked on romantic films such as “The Last Letter'' (2021), and has worked on “Brooklyn'' (2015) and “The Goldfinch.'' (2019) brought to life by Irish film director John Crowley. It's a “cry-inducing love movie,'' as they call it in Japan, “Crying out love from the center of the world,'' but instead of mourning loss, it's a movie that teaches us to enjoy life.
The film follows 10 years between Almut (Florence Pugh), a Michelin-starred chef, and her supporting husband, Tobias (Andrew Garfield). The film opens with a refreshing scene in which Almut goes jogging and makes breakfast for her husband, Tobias. Next, scenes are shown in which Almut endures labor pains in a London toilet, and a scene in which Almut is told that her stage 3 ovarian cancer has returned. Scenes such as the meeting of the two, the birth of a new life, and the fight against illness are cut out and combined in a new way. The structure carefully depicts every moment of the love story that unfolds within the “limited time'' of the two.
The encounter between Almut and Tobias is an unusual one. Tobias is upset when he goes out to buy a pen so he can sign the divorce papers his wife sent him, but Almut hits him with his car. Almut invites Tobias and his wife to his restaurant to apologize for the accident. When she learns that Almut is in the middle of divorce proceedings, the two immediately hit it off and fall in love. As this is a love affair in the 30's, there are many realistic scenes that resonate with us, such as the scene where Tobias tells Almut, “I can't fall in love with someone who doesn't want children.''
Speaking of Florence Pugh, she appeared in a buzz cut at the fashion festival “Met Gala'' in 2023 and became a hot topic, but that was in preparation for her role in this movie. According to People, director Crowley told Florence that a headpiece such as a wig was an option, but she wanted to fully commit to the role. “I stopped him in the middle of his story and said, 'John, if you're going to play this character in a movie like this, you've got to do what it takes.' 'If you don't want to do it, you shouldn't make these stories.' '' he said. Additionally, an interview between Florence and Andrew is played before the movie begins in Toronto movie theaters, and Florence says, “The head-shaving scene is one of the most beautiful scenes in the movie.''
“We Live in Time'' is a collection of pure beauty that is like a collage of events between two people who shine in a tear-jerking storyline. It has a high critic score of 80% and audience score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of October 22nd local time). By the way, in the United States, it was released on a small scale for just five days, and on the 18th day, it was expanded to 1,000 theaters nationwide. Ranked in the top 5 at the weekend box office. It's one of the best romantic movies of the year.
The director is John Crowley, who directed “Boy A'' (2007) and “Brooklyn'' (2015). Benedict Cumberbatch will serve as executive producer through his production company SunnyMarch. The release date for “We Live in Time” (original title), distributed in North America by A24, has not yet been determined.