Hi Tyler! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on marriage in conjunction with this movie review. I have not heard that quote by Hauerwas before; what a great line!
Speaking of great lines, I might have to add this one of yours into wedding ceremonies: “a strong marriage isn’t built on the intensity of today’s emotions but on the unwavering decision to keep saying “yes” to one another every single day.”
Also relevant might be that famous saying by G.K. Chesterton in "What's Wrong with the World" (1910):
"I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant when incompatibility becomes unquestionable. For a man and a woman, as such, are incompatible."
It’s funny. I thought the movie switched the usual roles. Normally it’s the husband who is so driven by their career their family gets second best. So I enjoyed the flip. Giving the husband a more feminine tone and wife this “search for meaning”. It’s not that I agree with how the film went as much as I thought it reflected reality. And in the end when she drops what she’s doing to spend time with her family, I thought, don’t you wish you were doing this the whole time vs pursing something meaningless. I never go to films hoping they will portray the right way about navigating life but reflecting reality with a little hint of “do you think it may have been better like this”. And reflect on your own.
That's a great observation! Over Christmas, I rewatched Family Man with Nicholas Cage. It's more of an "It's a Wonderful Life" story premise, but it hinges on the man realizing all his ambitions are empty. The main difference, aside from its focus on a man versus a woman is that the intention is there to highlight the emptiness of ambition but in "We Live in Time" we aren't really given an intentional purpose.
This is a beautiful reflection on what I thought at the time was a decent movie but now completely agree with your assessment here. Shared the Hauerwas quote with a friend’s sister getting married this weekend!! Maybe my new favorite marriage quote. Thanks for sharing!
I think the movie tries to right the wrong in the end, as she leaves the chef competition early, but I sensed that the damage was already done. If that was her apology, it's a weak one, at best. The movie doesn't make it clear, but it's unlikely the couple was ever married, which is fitting and sad. I'm not big on trying to push people away from a movie, but glad you were able to see the film through a different lens after reading this.
“True love is built not in the extraordinary moments but in the daily, ordinary acts of selflessness…” THIS is the message we need to keep hearing over and over again to combat the the lies about love we’re fed constantly. I’m tired of mainstream media showing us story after story of couples who live “exciting” relationships, but then are always chasing that fleeting spark (which often means turning to an affair) rather than striving to go deeper in the partnership/marriage they’ve already committed to. We need more beautifully made films like “A Hidden Life” that show the depth of love that grows through daily faithfulness.
Hi Tyler! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on marriage in conjunction with this movie review. I have not heard that quote by Hauerwas before; what a great line!
Speaking of great lines, I might have to add this one of yours into wedding ceremonies: “a strong marriage isn’t built on the intensity of today’s emotions but on the unwavering decision to keep saying “yes” to one another every single day.”
Glad this was helpful! Thanks for reading.
Also relevant might be that famous saying by G.K. Chesterton in "What's Wrong with the World" (1910):
"I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant when incompatibility becomes unquestionable. For a man and a woman, as such, are incompatible."
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/chesterton/whatwrong.i.ii.vii.html
Great quote! Also, some of Chesterton's cynicism comes out here too lol
It’s funny. I thought the movie switched the usual roles. Normally it’s the husband who is so driven by their career their family gets second best. So I enjoyed the flip. Giving the husband a more feminine tone and wife this “search for meaning”. It’s not that I agree with how the film went as much as I thought it reflected reality. And in the end when she drops what she’s doing to spend time with her family, I thought, don’t you wish you were doing this the whole time vs pursing something meaningless. I never go to films hoping they will portray the right way about navigating life but reflecting reality with a little hint of “do you think it may have been better like this”. And reflect on your own.
That's a great observation! Over Christmas, I rewatched Family Man with Nicholas Cage. It's more of an "It's a Wonderful Life" story premise, but it hinges on the man realizing all his ambitions are empty. The main difference, aside from its focus on a man versus a woman is that the intention is there to highlight the emptiness of ambition but in "We Live in Time" we aren't really given an intentional purpose.
Yep I agree!
This is a beautiful reflection on what I thought at the time was a decent movie but now completely agree with your assessment here. Shared the Hauerwas quote with a friend’s sister getting married this weekend!! Maybe my new favorite marriage quote. Thanks for sharing!
I think the movie tries to right the wrong in the end, as she leaves the chef competition early, but I sensed that the damage was already done. If that was her apology, it's a weak one, at best. The movie doesn't make it clear, but it's unlikely the couple was ever married, which is fitting and sad. I'm not big on trying to push people away from a movie, but glad you were able to see the film through a different lens after reading this.
Thank you for this.
“True love is built not in the extraordinary moments but in the daily, ordinary acts of selflessness…” THIS is the message we need to keep hearing over and over again to combat the the lies about love we’re fed constantly. I’m tired of mainstream media showing us story after story of couples who live “exciting” relationships, but then are always chasing that fleeting spark (which often means turning to an affair) rather than striving to go deeper in the partnership/marriage they’ve already committed to. We need more beautifully made films like “A Hidden Life” that show the depth of love that grows through daily faithfulness.
A Hidden Life is a genuinely all-time great movie
Love your words on marriage. So beautifully said. Thank you for sharing Tyler!
Thanks for reading!