A new love story has unfolded on the big screen, as the critically-acclaimed We Live in Time starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield is now playing in movie theaters. As described in WTW's We Live in Time review, the movie is an honest portrayal of a couple, Almut (Pugh) and Tobias (Garfield), through three distinct periods in their relationship: falling in love, building a family and dealing with a particularly difficult moment that could alter their future.
But there’s another element in the movie, directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Payne, that may have made it a bit hard for some to follow. Instead of telling a straight linear story, We Live in Time unfolds in a free-flowing kind of way. It jumps back and forth between the different storylines. If that tripped you up at all and left you wondering what exactly happened to Almut and Tobias, we’re here to help you fill in the gaps with our We Live in Time ending explainer.
Obviously, we are about to get into some major SPOILERS for We Live in Time. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, here are specifics on how you can watch We Live in Time right now. If you still have questions about the movie after that we’ll have the answers for you right here. All right, for those ready to dive into the details, let’s get into We Live in Time.
Early on in the movie we learn that the difficulty Almut and Tobias are going to go through is Almut’s ovarian cancer diagnosis. As we learn, this is her second time having to combat the illness. Previously, she had two options to fight the disease: remove one of her ovaries to preserve the chance she and Tobias could have kids one day, but leave a greater chance for the cancer to come back, or a complete hysterectomy. Almut chooses to just remove one ovary, which is a big moment for the couple as she had previously said she didn’t think she wanted kids, but decided that was something she wanted to do with Tobias. The surgery and treatment are successful on this first bout with the disease, as Almut goes into remission. Eventually they have a daughter, Ella (Grace Delaney).
However, in the storyline years later, Almut and Tobias learn the cancer is back, this time it is Stage 3. They’re told the tumor is too large to operate on, so first they would have to shrink it using chemotherapy, then surgery, then another bout of chemo. Almut knows there is a second option, as she tells Tobias they could have six months to make the most of their remaining time together as opposed to 12 months of hell with a treatment that’s not guaranteed to work. Ultimately, they opt for Almut to do the chemotherapy.
Almut still hopes to make the most of her time though. As an acclaimed chef, she is invited to compete in the Bocuse d’Or, an international competition described as the Olympics of the cooking world. The training for it would be quite demanding, even if she weren’t also going through chemo. But Almut is determined, so she agrees to participate in the competition, but she doesn’t tell Tobias. To top it all off, she and Tobias decide to get married (they had skipped the ceremonial rite despite their long relationship and having Ella).
Can Almut and Tobias have it all, or are all these obstacles too much to overcome?
What happens to Almut and Tobias in We Live in Time?
Almut and her teammate, Jade (Lee Braithwaite), compete and win the UK qualifying for the Bocuse d’Or, all without Tobias knowing. The next step is a round against the other qualifiers from Europe, which she learns will take place on June 5 and 6. That’s a bit of a problem, because her and Tobias' wedding is set for June 5.
Then the other bomb drops. The chemotherapy hasn’t been successful in shrinking the tumor. They do have other treatment options, but for Almut this is a devastating blow. Nevertheless, she throws herself into the intense training for the Bocuse d’Or, so much that she forgets to pick Ella up one day from school.
This leads to a big fight between her and Tobias, where he finally learns she is involved in the competition. He’s extremely upset, believing running herself ragged like that is impacting the treatment. That’s when Almut shares why she’s doing the competition. She doesn’t want Ella to only think back to this portion of her life as when her mom was struggling with a sickness, she wants to do something that her daughter can remember fondly/proudly; and she also admits that she is afraid to be forgotten. Though still upset she didn’t tell him, he can empathize with that. He asks when the next part of the competition is? When she says June 5 he can only laugh. But ultimately, they agree for Almut to compete.
So Almut competes at the Bocuse d’Or, with Tobias and Ella cheering her on. She and Jade have to create an elaborate main course and dessert dish in a set amount of time. It comes down to the wire, but they complete the task. We don’t learn how Almut finishes though, because after she finishes something comes over her. She thanks her teammate and then leaves with Tobias and Ella.
They go to an ice skating rink. We learn previously that Almut was an accomplished figure skater in her youth. However, when her dad passed away, she lost the joy in skating. But now, with her partner and her daughter, Almut skates with a big smile on her face. After helping instruct Tobias and Ella a bit on the ice, the pair wait on one side of the ice as Almut skates on her own. She eventually turns around at the other end, stops and waves to them. As they wave, the scene fades out. This represents Almut passing away.
We close the movie with Tobias, Ella and their new dog (Almut had previously suggested they get a dog, though with the joke that they get an old one close to death to potentially help Ella deal with her mother’s illness) at home. Tobias teaches Ella how to bake, using many of the techniques that Almut had previously taught him, as Almut’s legacy with her family will live on.
We Live in Time is now playing in select US movie theaters. It releases in the UK on January 1, 2025.
