When the poster for the 2024 romance drama We Live in Time dropped, no one—least of all the film’s stars Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh—could have predicted the unexpected star of the show: a bright yellow carousel horse. The poster features the two leads in an intimate embrace, but the internet quickly zeroed in on something else entirely. The bizarre, wide-eyed horse in the background, mouth agape as if in the throes of an existential crisis, has become the internet’s new favorite meme material.
Source: A24; Twitter
For a movie that’s decidedly not a romantic comedy, the sudden meme-ification was probably the last thing anyone involved anticipated. While We Live in Time explores heavy themes like love, loss, and the possibility of a terminal illness tearing the characters’ lives apart, online conversations have largely focused on that absurdly overdramatic horse. What makes the situation even funnier is that We Live in Time is anything but a lighthearted romp. Yet here we are, watching the internet lose its collective mind over a horse that looks more like it’s ready to scream into the void than add any emotional weight to the story.
The Meme Storm Hits
Once the poster made its rounds, the memes came flooding in. The main topic? That derpy horse, of course. One Twitter user summed up the situation perfectly, saying, “My sympathies to Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh who will now have dozens of ugly horse memes presented to them for the entirety of the We Live in Time press run.” Another tweet hilariously added, “This horse has done more marketing for We Live in Time than A24 ever did.” It’s hard to argue with that; the production company behind the film, A24, could not have planned this even if they tried.
For some people, the memes are their first introduction to the movie. With its October 11, 2024 release date approaching, many didn’t even know it existed until the poster—and that cursed horse—went viral. While it’s great that more people are now aware of We Live in Time, the expectation set by the internet couldn’t be further from what the film actually delivers. Spoiler alert: there are no horses of any significance in the movie. The plot, which revolves around a couple’s love story threatened by illness, is intensely emotional, but you wouldn’t guess that based on the meme-fest it’s inspired.
Why Is the Internet Obsessed with This Horse?
Part of the appeal lies in the sheer absurdity of it. Why did this horse get such a prominent spot in a poster for a tear-jerker romance? Why does it look like it’s caught mid-howl in a ghostly wail? The contrast between the delicate love story the movie tries to tell and this comically unsettling equine mascot is just too good to resist. It’s the kind of unintentional humor that the internet loves to latch onto.
Even though We Live in Time is far from a comedy, the horse has injected some much-needed levity into its marketing. Memes range from imagining the horse as a secret antagonist to photoshopping its face onto everything from classic movie posters to historical paintings. What’s clear is that, for better or worse, this horse has stolen the spotlight and possibly done more for the movie’s visibility than any traditional marketing strategy could have.
What to Expect from We Live in Time—Besides the Horse
For anyone wondering if the movie lives up to the hype (or the memes), be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. The film centers on the love story between Garfield and Pugh’s characters as they build a life together and face the possibility of losing it all. The trailer teases heart-wrenching moments and deep emotional bonds, but don’t go in expecting laughs—unless you still can’t get that horse out of your mind.
In the end, We Live in Time might be one of those movies where people walk in because of the memes and walk out wiping away tears. If there’s any takeaway from this unexpected viral moment, it’s that even the most serious of films can have a side of unintentional humor. And let’s face it, in a world that can feel pretty heavy, maybe we all needed a laugh, even if it’s at the expense of a wild-eyed, haunted-looking carousel horse.
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