Every love story is a tragedy. Every relationship ends, either in disaster or death, and the only question is how much joy you can wring out of it before that time comes. That, at least, is the message of director John Crowley’s latest film, the story of a relationship where the beginning, middle and end play out at more or less the same time.
Andrew Garfield is Tobias, an anxious, emotional wreck whose first marriage has ended in disaster. He encounters Florence Pugh’s chef Almut at this lowest of low points and they make an initially unlikely connection, but their chemistry is so undeniable that they attempt a date. In another strand of their timeline, they’re an established couple facing parenthood and illness; in the final one, they’re facing a challenge that may be too much for their relationship to survive.
It’s a structure that avoids some of the usual decline-and-fall beats of a romantic tragedy simply by virtue of moving them away from the end of the affair. That simple trick helps you consider the relationship in its totality rather than simply being left remembering its ultimate doom. The actual scenes and conversations probably wouldn’t feel revolutionary or original in chronological order, but the time hopping really does add something here. There are shades of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival: even if you know that things will go badly, devastatingly wrong, perhaps the journey is worth taking nevertheless. And Crowley and his editor, Justine Wright, have done a magnificent job of keeping the storytelling clear and the timelines generally distinct.
It feels real, and honest, in a way that too few romantic films manage
The strength of Garfield and Pugh’s performances keep even the weakest scenes free from cliché. They’re cast close to their own personas: Garfield is emotional, his heart always on his sleeve, while Pugh is tougher, even steely, and fights for everything she can get. Her Almut is not only an award-winning chef but a former champion athlete; she doesn’t do anything unless she can do it with her whole being. The slightly more retiring Tobias is in awe of that determination, but he’s not a pushover for all of Almut’s reckless plans. They clash and come together, pull away from one another and find their way back.
Crowley, having nailed his casting, directs with a light hand and follows the emotion through, to good effect. It feels real, and honest, in a way that too few romantic films manage.
In UK cinemas Jan 1. On PVOD in the US now.