What movie did you break in the new year with? Chances are that the film was We Live in Time, the heartbreaking non-linear weepie starring this season's hottest couple, Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. (That is, if we're not shipping Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgard's twisted union in Nosferatu, also on release now.)
The movie scrambles the earnest and affecting love story between Weetabix salesman Tobias and fusion chef Almut, zig-zagging through heartbreak and happiness as it takes in physical attraction, parenthood, marriage proposals, career triumphs and tragic health diagnoses.
We've rounded up the five scenes that reduced us to a sobbing mess, and no doubt they had the same effect on you if you watched it. (No, we're not talking about the demonic merry-go-round horse that dominated the pre-release publicity.)
Don't forget, you can always board the emotional rollercoaster again and watch the movie for the [insert number here] time at Cineworld. Do so by booking the link at the end of this post.
POSSIBLE WE LIVE IN TIME SPOILERS AHEAD
1. Almut receives her diagnosis
Such is the radiance of Garfield and Pugh's chemistry that the story's tragic arc cuts even deeper. The moment when Pugh's Almut proudly bears up to her initial cancer diagnosis (later to return) is a hallmark of quietly dignified inner strength, reminding us of Pugh's excellent work in the likes of Lady Macbeth (2017) and Little Women (2019).
2. Almut shaves her head
Pugh has spoken about how this ostensibly sad scene, which happens after being diagnosed with cancer, is empowering for Almut. In fact, the head shaving was her idea, telling the podcast Reign with Josh Smith: "If you’re lending yourself to a story like this, if you’re lending yourself to a cancer story like this, I couldn’t have not done it.
“Hollywood is very glamorous – especially for women – and it’s hard for an audience to see past that. Whenever I’ve not needed to be glam or have a full face of makeup, I fight to keep it that way. It helps the audience.”
3. Tobias suspends the wedding
With the reoccurrence of Almut's cancer diagnosis, this time landing amid her escalatingly successful cooking career, the loyal Tobia has to make some tough decisions. One is reminded of Garfield's admirably raw work in the pre-Spider-Man likes of Boy A (2007), which was directed by We Live in Time director John Crowley and generated a BAFTA win for the actor.
4. Almut completes her cookery challenge with Ella
The film's pivotal Bocuse d'Or cooking competition is where the terminally ill Almut puts it all on the line, ultimately finishing with the help of her daughter, Ella (Grace Delaney). The movie's collision of public and private lives is a tender study of how to reconcile career ambitions with a need to respect one's own health, a universal theme that undoubtedly speaks to the widest of audiences.
5. Tobias and Ella remember Almut
Who would have thought the sight of a chicken coop could reduce us to tears? Everything comes full circle as Tobias teaches Ella how to correctly crack an egg, the very thing that helped cement the bond between the young lovers in the first place. No, we're not crying, we've just got something in our eye.
Are you emotionally strong enough to once again watch Tobias and Almut risk it all? Then book your tickets below.
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