Synopsis
A veteran civil servant and bureaucratic cog in the rebuilding of Britain post-WWII, Williams expertly pushes paperwork around a government office only to reckon with his existence when he’s diagnosed with a fatal illness.
Living
2022 Directed by Oliver Hermanus
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Akira Kurosawa’s impact on modern cinema has been so complete that it can feel like semantics to distinguish the fistful of direct remakes that have been made of his films (e.g. “The Magnificent Seven,” “Last Man Standing”) from the endless list of movies that have been more broadly inspired by them (e.g. “Star Wars,” Johnnie To’s “Throw Down”). The worldwide reach of the Japanese auteur’s legacy — which continues to endure more than two decades after Kurosawa’s death, and a full nine years since Zack Snyder first threatened to set a version of “Seven Samurai” in a galaxy far, far away — is a testament to both the clarity of his storytelling and the internationality of his influences.
At a…
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LIVING may be a British remake of Akira Kurosawa’s IKIRU but it’s a more than admirable effort. Exquisite craftsmanship, a melodic score, an existential look at life’s purpose in the face of assured death, all led by a phenomenal Bill Nighy whose melancholy & delicate performance will shatter your heart.
Sundance #19
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Can’t quite put my finger on what stopped this blowing me away but there are moments when it really is quite special. Loved the cinematography and score so much which I know sounds trite until you really let the elegance and warmth of this really wash over you. Aimee Lou Wood stands out by far and I reckon it’ll grow on me with a rewatch, because it really is so handsome and heartfelt the more I think about it
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A graceful, moving elegy with a stunning Bill Nighy performance, gorgeous score, and nuanced script. No, it’s not Ikiru but it is it’s own lovely piece of filmmaking.
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Bill Nighy is beyond brilliant in Living, breaking our hearts as a bureaucrat learning how to live again in the last stretch of his life. Throw in an affecting supporting turn from Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood and a splendid score, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
Fellow Oscar watchers, you’re gonna wanna keep an eye on Nighy all year long…
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Sundance film #4
I love Akira Kuroswaw’s Ikiru (1952), it’s one of my favorite films and from Kurosawa. So when I heard it was getting a remake, I was worried and skeptical ngl. After watching it, the film is pretty solid with great performances from Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood and Alex Sharp, along with its sharp aspect ratio, visuals and cinematography of 1950’s post war London. However I don’t see a point of why this had to be remade, especially if you can just watch the original and it still holds up. Living plays out similar or exactly like Ikiru from our main protagonist trying to enjoy his last days and not showing up to work with his coworkers…
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Bill Nighy the future oscar nominee guy? This was one of my most anticipated movies ahead of Sundance. LIVING is a British remake of IKIRU, one of my favorite Kurosawa film. And while I don’t generally accept remakes, I was actually excited for this. One thing’s for certain, Billy Nighy is terrific here. He always is, so it’s not much of a shock that he gives a quiet yet wonderful performance. I was slightly disappointed by the film as a whole. I think I was expecting more emotion from the film, or they’d take more time to go down the journey of the true spirit of life. But by the end of the film, I was…
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Bill Nighy is great, but LIVING is a performance more than a well-driven movie. The second half, especially, was overly sentimental, rather than philosophically focused, which is actually where the real emotion should stem from.
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Kurosawa's more action-oriented films have been referenced, homaged and remade many times, but the idea of anyone remaking his solemn, quiet mortality drama Ikiru 60+ years later seems more likely to be a labor of love than motivated by attempting to cash in on a classic about which the contemporary general public couldn't care less. Refreshingly, Oliver Hermanus' Living isn't some half-hearted attempt to move Ikiru into the modern world. Rather, it instead transports the tale of a lonely man dying of stomach cancer into 1952 Britain, keeping the old-fashioned charm intact. Bill Nighy as our dignified protagonist is stellar casting, a golden opportunity that he eagerly seizes to give the greatest performance of his career. Familiar yet friendly, Living is an affecting paean to making the most of the time we have left.
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Obviously doesn’t hold a candle to Ikiru the film this is practically a shot for shot remake of, but Bill Nighy’s performance combined with the great score and ever heartwarming and universal themes makes it an enjoyable watch even if it doesn’t try doing anything different.
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It might be wondered why Akira Kurosawa’s iconic masterpiece, IKIRU, got remade in 2022, leading to the deeper question of why we live in a culture with so many reboots, remakes and non-stop sequels. The first question is nothing new for sensei Kurosawa, whose storytelling and international fame has been streamlined throughout western cinema for much of the 21st century. SEVEN SAMURAI was remade as THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. YOJIMBO was translated into DJANGO, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, and LAST MAN STANDING. RASHOMON was adapted for AT THE GATE OF THE GHOST. MASQUERADE is a retelling of KAGEMUSHA. And so on, and so on. Kurosawa’s influence on western cinema is undeniable, so what about the deeper question of why remakes and…