After The Notebook, the emotional romantic drama surged in popularity, but it was soon overshadowed by countless adaptations of other Nicholas Sparks novels and their imitators. Watching John Crowley’s gripping We Live in Time, which premiered tonight at the Toronto International Film Festival, I couldn’t help but notice how deeply it draws from centuries of tragic love stories. Yet, it still felt fresh something we haven't experienced in the post-COVID era, especially not with performances of this caliber. The two films that premiered tonight at one of Toronto’s grandest theaters shared a deep, heartfelt seriousness. These are the kinds of stories where the audience knows they’re being manipulated, yet willingly follows along, in an era where modern filmmaking has grown deeply cynical. Watch the movie on Soap2day.