While we, and Tobias (Garfield) and Almut (Pugh), do indeed live in time, as we’re constantly reminded in big and small ways — clocks and stopwatches are ever-present, literally and metaphorically — the movie hovers above it. The storytelling jumps back and forth through time like a scattershot memory as we piece together these lives that intersect in an elaborate, mystical and darkly comedic way: Almut runs into Tobias with her car. Their first chat is in a hospital hallway, with those glaring fluorescent lights and him bruised and cut all over. But he’s so struck by this beautiful woman in front of him, he barely seems to care.
I suppose this could be considered a Lubitschian “meet-cute” even if it knowingly pushes the boundaries of our understanding of that romance trope. Before the hit, Tobias was in a hotel, attempting to sign divorce papers and his pens were out of ink and pencils kept breaking. In a fit of near-mania he leaves, wearing only his bathrobe, to go to a corner store and buy more. Walking back, he drops something in the street and bang: A new relationship is born. It’s the ultimate metaphor for the out-of-body vulnerability required to fall in love.
There are several moments of mania that await both, particularly around a baby that just isn’t ready to come out yet — until it is and they’re nowhere near the hospital. I won’t ruin it, but it is one of the funnier, more emotional and memorable birthing scenes I’ve ever seen on screen. It’s one of those scenes where you don’t expect tears, but there they are.