Starring Bill Nighy, this reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru is directed by Oliver Hermanus (Moffie, The Endless River) from a script by Kazuo Ishiguro (author of the novels The Remains of The Day and Never Let Me Go). The film was received to resounding critical acclaim at Sundance Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.
Living is the story of an ordinary man, reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who at the eleventh hour makes a supreme effort to turn his dull life into something wonderful – into one he can say has been lived to the full. 1953. A London shattered by WWII is still recovering. Williams (Bill Nighy), a veteran civil servant, is an important cog within the city’s bureaucracy as it struggles to rebuild. Buried under paperwork at the office, lonely at home, his life has long felt empty and meaningless. Then a shattering medical diagnosis forces him to take stock – and to try and grasp fulfilment before it goes beyond reach.
At a seaside resort, chaperoned by a local decadent (Tom Burke), he flirts with hedonism before rejecting it as his solution. Back in London he finds himself drawn to the natural vitality of Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood, BAFTA® EE Rising Star nominee 2023), a young woman who once worked under his supervision and is now determined to spread her wings. Then one evening he is struck by a revelation – one as simple as it is profound – and with a new energy, and the help of Peter (Alex Sharp), an idealistic new recruit to his department, he sets about creating a legacy for the next generation.
Living is a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru, and is directed by Oliver Hermanus (Moffie, The Endless River) from a script by Kazuo Ishiguro (author of the novels The Remains of The Day and Never Let Me Go).
Watch Living (2022) – Official Trailer:
The film is produced by Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen for Number 9 Films (The Crying Game, Mothering Sunday, Carol). Living stars Bill Nighy (About Time, Emma) as Mr Williams, Tom Burke (The Souvenir Part I, Mank) as Sutherland, Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain) as Margaret and Alex Sharp (The Trial Of The Chicago 7, The Curious Case Of The Dog In The Night-Time) as Peter.
The creative team includes Director of Photography Jamie Ramsay (Moffie, Mothering Sunday), Production Designer Helen Scott (Small Axe, Fish Tank), Costume Designer Sandy Powell (The Favourite, The Irishman) and Hair and Make-Up Designer Nadia Stacey (Cruella, The Favourite). The score is by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch (Rocks, Censor).
