Rent We Live in Time on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Nick Payne
Directed by: John Crowley
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
After an unusual encounter, a talented chef and a recent divorcée fall in love and build the home and family they've always dreamed of until a painful truth puts their love story to the test.
Verdict
It's a touching yet heavy movie as we see the ups and downs of a couple from how they met to where the movie ends. This is basically a romance movie with the scenes arranged out of order. This adds to the intrigue as we draw numerous conclusions and wonder what happens in between. We're given the answers eventually, but left wondering until that point. With the arrangement of the narrative, it feels manipulative, but it gives a straight forward story mystery; that makes it better because of it. This ends really well, though understated, while still providing all the information we need.
It depends.
Review
Scenes of a couple soon indicate the narrative is jumping around in time as we see a scene of Almut (Florence Pugh) pregnant and then in a following scene she's not. The story is disjointed, and while that makes it more interesting, it seems the reason is just to add intrigue to an otherwise straightforward romance tale.
Almut and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) have a unique meet cute; she hit him with her car. While we walk through the entirety of their courtship, the foundation of the story is the unexpected illness their dealing with that upends their lives as we jump around in time. The non-linear composition creates multiple story lines that make this seem busier than it is. I don't blame the structure, it adds a lot of interest. We see a whirlwind romance and a hurdle where she states she doesn't want kids nor the commitment Tobias seeks. That's in conflict with what we've seen as we know they have a child. Without the story structure, this wouldn't be anywhere near what it is. Creating gaps and thus mysteries force us to wonder how it resolves.
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| Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield play Almut, Tobias |
We see fragments of their relationship that over the course of the movie make up the whole; the ups and downs, a cancer scare, pregnancies, and we know how some of that concludes. There's strife between Tobias and Almut when she enters a prestigious cooking competition. That's about legacy, and Almut wanting her daughter to see her mom as ambitious. Almut doesn't want her daughter to see her diagnosis as something that limited her or her aspirations. Not only did she forgo telling Tobias, the finals are on the same day as their wedding. This event is the driver of tension, but with the format of the story it's just one of many questions in the story.
I wouldn't care for this as much without the story structure. It constantly made me wonder how plot points resolve. In a straightforward narrative I wouldn't have any questions other than what happens next. I like how this ends, providing a boost to the rest of the movie. It's understated, but it hits all the right marks and emotions.
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