{"id":637,"date":"2022-12-06T11:43:27","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T11:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nancyepton.co.uk\/?p=637"},"modified":"2024-01-04T14:13:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T14:13:52","slug":"review-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nancyepton.co.uk\/?p=637","title":{"rendered":"Review: Living"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Adapted from Akira Kurosawa\u2019s 1952 drama Ikuru<\/em>, itself inspired by Leo Tolstoy\u2019s 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Living<\/em> follows Bill Nighy\u2019s reserved bureaucrat Mr Williams, who determines to live life to the full and mend his selfish ways after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. He receives the news of his diagnosis with a torturously blunt stiff upper lip as he responds to the doctor with a brief acknowledgement (\u2018Quite\u2019). A Christmas Carol<\/em> this ain\u2019t, with Williams first trying to seek refuge with brazen Lothario Mr Sutherland, experiencing decadent lap dances and alcohol in the dark hideouts of London before passing out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

It is, however, a film filled with warmth and wit, thanks mostly to Nighy\u2019s parred down performance. Not a lot happens as Mr Williams drops his usual work routine in search of greater meaning, and if you\u2019re not a fan of slow pacing, then this probably won\u2019t be the film for you. But if you\u2019re open to a more meandering slice of life, then Living<\/em> has plenty to recommend. If you\u2019ve been following my website closely (if not, that\u2019s cool), you\u2019ll probably know I\u2019m a big fan of extreme close-ups as a means to articulate a character\u2019s emotional state, and some particularly powerful portraits of Mr Williams take place shortly after his diagnosis as he sits alone on a sofa in the darkness of his son\u2019s lounge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unable to articulate his feelings to his family members, we are instead treated to extended shots of William\u2019s troubled expression, interspersed with fractured flashbacks as he contemplates his life. Overhearing a heated conversation between his son and daughter-in-law as they enter the house, with the latter despairing over Williams\u2019 reluctance to provide them with his inheritance, he stays silent, still awkwardly sitting as the lights are turned on and his presence is awkwardly acknowledged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Nighy\u2019s character is largely restrained in his speech, talking only in stunted and mannered pauses, much of the film\u2019s light heartedness is bolstered by Aimee Lou Wood\u2019s jubilant employee Miss Harris, who Mr Williams confides in and takes on an improvised trip to Fortnum\u2019s after hearing about her new position. The film is also bookended by the discussions between fellow employees on their way to work, who, acting as mouthpieces for Williams\u2019 changed ways, become inspired by his good deeds to practice the same behaviour in their own endeavours. After Williams initially regards his work with little effort (having received a petition from a group of women to build a new swing in the local area, he casually passes it off with a resigned, repeated phrase \u2018keep it here, it won\u2019t do it any harm\u2019), he bursts into action with knowledge of his impending death, endeavouring to get the petition done at any cost. The film includes some masterful tunes and choreography, but no scene is more poignant than the final one of Williams as he plays on the swing to a tune I haven\u2019t quite tracked down yet, but it\u2019s one that plays at the end of Master and Commander<\/em>, another classic film that needs a watch if you haven\u2019t seen it already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sombre yet uplifting, Living <\/em>is a moving work that exhibits one of Nighy\u2019s finest performances to date. If you\u2019ve got a spare afternoon this December, give it a watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Below: An image of the character Kanji Watanabe from Kurosawa’s Ikuru<\/em>, since I couldn’t find any images of the great final scene with Mr Williams)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adapted from Akira Kurosawa\u2019s 1952 drama Ikuru, itself inspired by Leo Tolstoy\u2019s 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Living follows Bill Nighy\u2019s reserved bureaucrat Mr Williams, who determines to live life to the full and mend his selfish ways after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. He receives the news of his diagnosis with a torturously blunt stiff … <\/p>\n

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