“Throughout, Bill Nighy carries the film effortlessly on his slender shoulders, reminding us of why he's an international treasure.” - Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
1953. A London shattered by WWII is still recovering. Williams (Bill Nighy), a veteran civil servant, is an impotent 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.
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). While the heart of the film is Nighy’s understated lead performance, equally as masterful is the profound sense of time and place created by the craft elements, notably production design by Helen Scott (Mothering Sunday), and costume design by the multiple Oscar-winning Sandy Powell. It’s all captured on screen by cinematographer Jamie Ramsay (Mothering Sunday), who impresses with his creation of beautiful images filled with light. Deeply affecting and an utter treat for the senses, LIVING is as timeless a film as the message at its core.
Awards: 7 wins & 38 nominations to date, including:
Winner, Best Production Design, British Independent Film Awards, 2022
Winner, Best Lead Performance (Bill Nighy), Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, 2022
Winner, Audience Award (Narrative Feature), Virginia Film Festival, 2022
Winner, International Star Award (Bill Nighy), Palm Springs International Film Festival, 2023
Nominee, Outstanding Actor, Screen Actors Guild Awards, 2023
Nominee, Best Actor in Motion Picture, Drama, Golden Globes, 2023