We Live in Time

The escapism of a great rom-com is tough to beat, but when a realistic romance as strong as We Live in Time comes around, one wishes movies like it were the genre norm.

Sweet, funny, sad, and sexy, the story of Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) further distances itself from conventionality with a scrambled timeline that mirrors the nonlinear nature of memory. This approach also amps up the mysteries in precisely where the couple’s relationship is heading as they figure out if they’re truly compatible when it comes to children, careers, and more, though Pugh’s hairstyle provides a welcome North Star.

These ingredients are a sure-fire recipe for a sappy experience, but in the hands of writer Nick Payne (The Sense of an Ending) and director John Crowley (Brooklyn; Closed Circuit), it's anything but saccharine. There are no gimmicks to be found here — no infidelity or anything rote like that. “Just” Almut’s cancer.

Revealed early on, her health crisis likewise isn't sugar-coated nor wrung out for maximum melodramatic effect. Plus, since Almut is in the midst of her promising culinary career when it hits, we're treated to some high quality food porn, making We Live in Time a less aggro cousin of The Bear.

The honest yet magical tone that the filmmakers conjure proves reminiscent of a similarly titled gem, About Time, but with the chronology-hopping wizardry done by those behind the camera, rather than the protagonists.

Key to that allure is an ace cast up to the humane challenge. In addition to the appeal of hearing both actors’ natural accents, it's refreshing to see Pugh and Garfield in this type of film, suggesting these top talents can handle pretty much any assignment.

Under Crowley’s expert guidance, they nail this one, and hopefully usher in an era of more frequent mature rom-coms.

Grade: A-minus. Rated R. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, the Fine Arts Theatre, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: A24)