By Divya Rajagopal
TORONTO (Reuters) – “We Live In Time,” which made its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, is a tear-jerker that takes on the big questions of love, the meaning of life, and how to cherish each day under the shadow of human mortality.
The movie, starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, tells the story of a young couple who meet under the most unexpected circumstances and start a life together. But a cancer diagnosis and the possibility of imminent death soon shatter their domestic contentment, forcing them to rethink their lives.
The gnawing uncertainty becomes a source of conflict for the family as it struggles to set new priorities: whether to chase long-held ambitions, to build happy memories in whatever time remains or to seek an elusive medical remedy.
For Garfield, who made his mark as Peter Parker in “The Amazing Spider-Man” franchise, the movie is about coming to terms with the ephemeral nature of life.
“We are all heading to the same place – I think we forget that – and the only thing that gives life meaning is we remember that,” Garfield told reporters at the film’s premiere on Friday.
Directed by John Crowley from a screenplay by Nick Payne, the movie pairs Garfield, 41, and Pugh, 28, for the first time on screen.
For the “Spider-Man” star, the experience of working with Pugh – whose credits include 2019’s “Little Women,” “Black Widow” in 2021 and 2023’s “Oppenheimer” – was delightful.
“There is no way of knowing and you always have to roll the dice, and thank god John’s instinct was right and we managed to have a good time together,” Garfield told Reuters, referring to Crowley’s decision to cast his two stars in the roles of romantic partners.
For Pugh, TIFF is a homecoming of sorts. The actor made her TIFF debut with “Lady Macbeth” in 2016, but it is only this year that she made it to the festival in person.
“This is for the first time that I am attending TIFF in person, so it feels like finally I made it,” Pugh told reporters.
(Reporting by Divya Rajagopal in Toronto; Editing by Frank McGurty and Diane Craft)
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