“Living” A Moving Film That Can Make You Reflect On Life

Since this month features the prestigious Summer Film Festival at the Dietrich Theater, I wanted to take a look at a few recent independent films. In this edition I will be taking a look at the recent indie films “Living” and “Dreamin’ Wild” (in a separate review). 

In the 2022 indie film “Living, overwhelmed at work and lonely at home, a civil servant’s life takes a heartbreaking turn when a medical diagnosis tells him his time is short.

Influenced by a local decadent and a vibrant woman, he continues to search for meaning until a simple revelation gives him a purpose to create a legacy for the next generation.

While the 2022 film “Living” can be a little on the slow-moving side at times, this is a film that delivers a lot of emotional/moving moments and is also one of those films that can be very thought-provoking. 

Bill Nighy, who can never disappoint in any role he has, gives a masterful and deeply moving performance as Mr. Williams, who reflects on his life after receiving a terminal diagnosis. His performance in this feature is incredibly moving and his emotional portrayal really helps the film.

There are many moments in “Living” that Nighy gives it his all with his performance, especially when his character begins to slowly embrace life, including his first night out which highlights his character's slight awkwardness. During his time embracing life, Williams also confides in a woman (a co-worker) and she’s the only one who Williams tells about his newfound medical diagnosis. 

There’s also a rather emotional moment where Mr. Williams is singing the song “The

Rowan Tree” and he gets rather emotional while thinking about his life as he sings the song.

Like I stated before, this 2022 independent film can really be thought-provoking. This film can remind you not to let life pass you by, promptly reflecting on your own lives and the pursuit of meaning. The film’s message about finding purpose in the face of death can be extremely empowering as well.

With its thoughtful story-telling, compelling performances, and the exploration of universal themes, “Living” is one of those films that can stay with viewers long after the credits roll.

Trivia: The production designers went to a great deal of trouble to make this film look like it was made in the era it was set, including avoiding quick edits, softening the color palette and using a relevant font for the film credits. Vintage 1950s newsreel footage was digitally cleaned up for this film to add authenticity to establishing shots of London.

To help get him into character, Bill Nighy purposely made his voice thinner, as if Mr. Williams had trouble getting his voice out of his body, such was the extent of his own regression. “Living” is an adaptation of the 1952 Akira Kurosawa film “Ikiru” and had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2022.

MPA: Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material and smoking   (runtime 102 minutes)   (currently being streamed on Hulu)

• The production designers went to a great deal of trouble to make this film look like it was made in the era it was set, including avoiding quick edits, softening the color palette and using a relevant font for the film credits.

• Kazuo Ishiguro had dreamed of doing a remake of Ikiru (1952) in English with Bill Nighy for many years. One night, he and his wife Lorna ended up sharing a cab with Nighy after a party and he pitched the idea. Nighy had never seen the film but once he watched it, he enthusiastically signed on to the project.

• To help him get into character, Bill Nighy purposely made his voice thinner, as if Mr. Williams had trouble getting his voice out of his body, such was the extent of his own repression.

• During a Q&A at the 2022 AFI Film Festival, Bill Nighy confessed that despite numerous opportunities, he has not seen the finished film. He dislikes watching himself onscreen, and hasn't watched most of his films.

• The Rowan Tree, the song sung by Mr. Williams, is a Scottish song written by Carolina Oliphant, known as Lady Nairne (1766-1845). The song was first published in R. A. Smith's Scottish Minstrel in 1822.

• Adapted from the Japanese film Ikiru (1952) directed by Akira Kurosawa, which in turn was inspired by the 1886 Russian novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy.