2025 has barely begun and this couple is already delivering one of the biggest emotional moments of the year

what are you talking about

The lives of Almut and Tobias change forever when a chance meeting brings them together. A deeply moving novel about the moments that change and shape us.

A perfect couple

There is so much to say (good) about love in the present that we really don’t know where to start. Let’s move on to the main selling point of the film. The one that is highlighted on the posters and the one that attracts the audience the most until they know what it will be about: its casting. There are Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.

Two English actors among the most talented of their generation. One of Marvel’s Spider-Man and Black Widow’s sister. Beloved and Oscar-nominated actors (thanks to You Shall Not Kill and Tick, Tick… ​​Boom! for him, The Daughters of Doctor March for him), who have in common that they are always fair. separately or, as here, together.

Having never played together before, they were meant to, their chemistry is so obvious. And that’s after a few moments of this story that spans a decade that follows the couple’s lives and the obstacles they overcome going back and forth in time. If the association of two talents of this level is not always synonymous with success, love in the present brilliantly avoids this trap.

“I love Florence”Andrew Garfield answers as we try to solve the mystery of this incredible alchemy with him. “I’m lucky that he’s cute and easy to love, take care of, and want him to succeed. I think our connection and love we have for each other, mutual support, play and trust came naturally.”

“We didn’t have to work on it. We had to allow ourselves to be very attentive and careful with each other, which we both were. I think that respect is the key that allows us to come together in this direction. Moments of vulnerability and tenderness.” The naturalness that contributes to the great precision of love in the present is one of its strengths.

Just overwhelming

Love, work, illness, (more or less) dysfunctional parenting… the themes dealt with by the feature film may seem common, and at first glance they are. But it is based on it that it shines and moves us regularly. If we can conjure up (500) days together, with this new fragmented plot where the sequence echoes each other, love in the present prefers naturalism to fantasy.

So even without knowing how the characters are going through it, and despite the presence of the two stars on screen, it’s hard not to identify in one way or another. For both the audience and the actors, Andrew Garfield admitted that he drew on memories of his mother’s death in 2019 to finally mourn thanks to this film.

“I was in a very thoughtful state when I read the script and I felt that it perfectly reflected what I was feeling deeply.– says Andrew Garfield, who prefers to use words “caring” or “cathartic”than “therapeutic”To describe the effects of a feature film. “I enjoy using my imagination to create a character, as well as putting my personality into everything I do.”

“I had a feeling that the film perfectly reflected what I was feeling deeply.”

“But this film was very personal for me and my work process was very different from what I had done before: I had to try to step aside, relax and let myself play this character without overcomplicating or overworking. I wanted it to be effortless, as spontaneous as possible, in the moment and as alive as possible.

and the ease with which we can identify with the characters of L’Amour au present (which, like its original title We live in a timeinsisting on the importance of living in the moment as opposed to taking a long-term view) also comes from this. Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh often played the characters throughout their careers “larger than life”With an unusual destiny: a superhero, a space princess for him, a brilliant composer for him…

Here they are “normal”. In quotation marks, in the sense that what they experience and experience is part of our daily lives, even if it is more difficult for their performer. “It was a real change for me”Andrew Garfield tells us. “The challenges that arise are different than the challenges that come with more outgoing and unusual characters like Desmond Doss, Jonathan Larson or Peter Parker.”

“Playing these characters, I feel a sense of insecurity. I wonder if I have the ability to embody and embody these larger beings. With Tobias, the challenge is more if I have the opportunity to be as ordinary as possible. And make him believable, entertaining and relatable, his Without trying to exaggerate or beautify, trusting in the peace of one’s own soul.

Injecting a bit of humor into the drama to make it a little more in line with how to navigate these obstacles and avoid being overly hyped, Love in the Present is almost as tour-de-force as a John Crowley film (who then rejoins Andrew Garfield, who portrayed him brilliantly in Boy A) manages to always be fair. Without overdoing it, while the line effort can be tempting Big, the better to touch our hearts. often.

So be warned: after the champagne, your tears can flow freely on January 1st.

Comments collected by Maximilien Pierret in Paris on December 17, 2024