Living is a drama film starring Bill Nighy and directed by Oliver Hermanus.
An excellent remake with a brilliant performance by Bill Nighy. A great movie. However, it might not be the kind of film you feel like watching. Nonetheless, if you give it a chance, you’ll be glad you did.
Storyline
William is an elderly man who receives a devastating medical diagnosis: he has six months to live.
About the Film
Brilliant in every way, from the cinematography to the superb direction by Oliver Hermanus, who manages to transfer Kurosawa’s original film to an English setting – a challenge for any director.
It draws on and adopts from the original and is totally faithful to it, in addition to providing – and, above all, counting on – an exceptional actor in what is probably the role of his life. Billy Nighty is magnificent in a film that, once seen, could not exist without him. He’s the perfect protagonist in a performance that quite simply couldn’t be better.
Living is a balanced film in every way: very solid, faithful, and with just the right touch of lyricism, almost perfect in its execution… even so, it’s a film that you have to want to see, a film about an expected ending that can only leave us with a sad, bittersweet feeling.
Superfluous. It knows how to tell a story, and how to do so elegantly without slipping into being plain melodramatic, it’s even exquisite at times … but with the caveat of the undeniable evidence that it had already been filmed, and its masterstrokes, already marked out by Kurosawa.
Our Opinion
A great film that you won’t feel like watching, despite its excellent form.
Director
Oliver Hermanus
The Cast
 Bill Nighy / Williams |  Aimee Lou Wood / Margaret Harris |
 Alex Sharp / Peter Wakeling |  Tom Burke / Sutherland |
 Adrian Rawlins / Middleton |  Oliver Chris / Hart |
 Michael Cochrane / Sir James |  Zoe Boyle / Mrs. McMasters |
Hubert Burton / Rusbridger
Barney Fishwick / Michael