Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh seduce us in We Live in Time

We haven’t been this invested in some strangers’ love affair since Andrew Garfield  (The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2) and comedian Amelia Dimoldenberg flirted their little cotton socks off during their viral Chicken Shop Date – which made its way out of the studio, onto the red carpet, and into our hearts!

Andrew plays Tobias, one half of a romantic duo – with Florence Pugh’s (A Good Person) Almut – in John Crowley and Nick Payne’s new romantic comedy-drama We Live in Time. It’s a film that captures the way that loving someone completely remakes your world.

“I liked that Almut and Tobias’s love story didn’t have smooth edges, that it was sparky and tangled and honest in ways that intrigued me,” says director John Crowley. “I liked that Almut and Tobias are not particularly looking for anyone in their lives when they meet, but one day turns into another and you see how they start to build a life in that way. I liked the way the story is set outside linear time because it becomes about the choices Almut and Tobias make inside their relationship. Within what is also just a very funny, human, moving story.”

Plus, they fall all over themselves from how much they fancy another! “I was spoiled growing up by all the Notting Hills and Four Weddings and A Funerals, these quintessentially British, very human storylines we all wanted to watch, and be part of, and hopefully have one day. And this story taps into that same rich level of romance,” promises Florence Pugh. “The moment Almut and Tobias lock eyes, you know, no matter how much they wind each other up and how much they’ll evolve, they’re meant to be together. You’re totally ready to follow them through their every single high and every single low because their love feels so pure and real.”

It’s a love real enough to withstand anything time can throw at them. “Almut and Tobias are confronted by grief, as we all are ultimately, but this only sharpens their humour, their joy, their desire to live consciously. Their beautiful energy stands in opposition to life’s darkness,” says John Crowley. 

But why give the director the last word? Let’s hear from the lovers themselves…

Stream We Live in Time now.

Shaved and served by Chef Almut 

Get in Chef Almut’s way, and she’ll run you over – literally in the case of her first meeting with the man who will become the love of her life, Tobias. Almut is single but she’s not looking for love at all. She just wants to make a name for herself, through her expertise and creativity, in a cutthroat field. “I saw Almut as a really driven and really normal single woman, someone I could see myself in, and someone who I think audiences will see themselves in,” says Florence. “It felt absolutely wonderful to play someone going through so many of the things someone my age really goes through. I know so many hardworking, opinionated women just like Almut.” 

To give Almut her due, Florence undertook a boot camp at Hide, a Michelin-star restaurant in London. She worked the typical 6:30am-to-4pm shifts, and learned to plate meals under the exacting eye of Chef Ollie Dabbous. “I love food and cooking, but I’m not a chef, so I wanted to make sure Almut really held herself, moved and interacted as a world-class chef would,” says Florence. “One thing I learned is that the key to any truly great kitchen is ultra-respect between every person, and that’s the tone Almut tries to set.” 

There was more research to come, as Florence explored what would be involved in Almut’s treatment for ovarian cancer – an essential part of understanding some of the decisions that she makes. “As much as Almut’s illness is a turning point in her life with Tobias, it’s not a turning point in who she is,” Florence explains. “I wanted the audience to only catch glimpses of it, to see when she’s tired, or when she’s feeling alone, but mostly to see that with Tobias and their daughter, she is always the rock of the family and tenaciously strong … Almut asks herself, ‘should I have a longer life but have a sh*t time, or do I have a shorter life and have a good time?’ And she decides to have the best time, full of love, with no regrets, and to focus on leaving a legacy for her daughter so she can say, ‘wow, look at what my mother did.’” 

Alma’s attitude shines through in what could have been one of the film’s most darkly tragic scenes, in which she has Tobias shave her head … which Florence decided to film live on camera. “When I read that scene, I was struck by how beautiful, how happy and full of life it was, and that made me understand even better what the movie was trying to do. I loved that she wanted to make it a day their daughter could remember in a positive way.”

Tobias the Weetabix Man

At first Almut knows Tobias only as the Weetabix Man. Tobias, who’s recently gotten divorced, is so dedicated to his corporate career for the breakfast food company that he doesn’t see Almut’s car heading right for him. Whoops! “He’s a pretty tightly wound guy who draws within the lines, who doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers, who doesn’t have much access to his own wildness or freedom,” Andrew observes. “And then he is pulled into the completely unbridled, anarchic chaos of love through the tornado-like persona of Almut. Almut challenges him to risk everything. And once he takes that risk, he realises he’s now been invited into the party of life, into the full possibility of what a life can be and how deep love can go.

“What an opportunity to work with such deep themes and ideas through such elegant, delicate, subtle storytelling,” says Andrew. “Love is such a vital human experience, and this story reminds us of the many ways that love runs through our lives. It’s not just a romantic love story. It’s equally a love story about a daughter and what her parents want to give her. It’s about the lasting ripples of love and how they permeate everything.

“While Tobias might seem passive, I think he does have power, and I wanted to honour the kind of person who keeps their strength mostly hidden, yet when it does come out, it is maybe even more powerful because it’s been held back for so long. This is a story that cracks your heart open to the beauty and mystery of life, that honours the people who anchor us to this existence. The big lesson Tobias learns from Almut is that in any life worth living, you’ll inevitably have losses, but you’ve got to let in as much love as possible,” says Andrew.

Well, stop us, because we’re in love with life now (and maybe with Andrew and Florence, too)!

Stream We Live in Time now and if you’re in love with love, read more about our favourite romantic series on Showmax.