contrivance

"The whole thing hangs on contrivance and familiarity, not characters, so the fights don’t seem to matter much."

“We Live in Time” is also chock-full of contrivances.

There is one slight contrivance later in the film to set up its final act, but it's arguably a necessary one to set the stage for the film's dramatic conclusion.

The contrivances of the situation are inescapable, despite the scrupulous honesty of the performers in director Michael Herwitz’s charged production.

His casual “Say hey” response to most any greeting was viewed by some as spontaneous and natural, by others as a contrivance for someone who couldn’t recall names.