Film Buffa: Bill Nighy shines in somber yet uplifting 'Living'
Welcome to the first official movie review of the R.O.W.B. newsletter!
What movie? “Living”
Where is it playing? In theaters only.
How long? A crisp 102 minutes.
Who’s in it? Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp, and Adrian Rawlins.
What’s it about? In 1950s London, a civil servant sleepwalks through life in the county office. His co-worker nicknames him “Mr. Zombie.” After a grim diagnosis, he decides to take some time off from work to do some living.
My take: Takeaways, criticisms, likes, dislikes, a review, etc. Whatever I thought of the film will uncoil here. Honest words. That’s all. Let’s roll with it as the first EVER official, Rotten Tomatoes-approved, movie review here at the ROWB.
One of the things you’re given at birth without knowing is the ability to take tomorrow for granted. We go to bed at night thinking there’s another 24 hours waiting for us tomorrow, the carelessness about fate left in the dust on our way out the door.
It’s only when life throws a hook at your mortal ribs that human beings truly stop to hear the music that’s been playing in the background. For civil servant Mr. Williams (Nighy), a grim report from his doctor throws his world into slow-motion mode. Suddenly, the man that others thought had the charm of a tree branch stepped back, reexamining all the time he had wasted.
Williams doesn’t show up to work the next day, and the day after. He runs into former co-workers (Wood’s lovely Mrs. Harris) and stresses over ways to inform his son and his wife, but finds a more presumptuous step in his life. Without the shackles of the unknown in regards to his fate, Williams decides to loosen up.
This makes for a wonderful actor’s showcase for the uber-talented Nighy. Don’t go into the theater expecting Billy Mack from “Love Actually;” the actor lowers the burn on his charisma and screen energy to a dull formal British roar as Williams. He expands “thank you” to a four-second courtesy, and apologizes profusely for doing something minimal to someone else. His Williams is beyond proper, so it’s a pleasure to see the turnaround in the lead character allow the actor to show off some of that exuberance.
But Nighy never takes that upbeat nature too far, staying in a fog of regret and grief. It’s only a last second parks and recreation city matter that possibly provides a chance for redemption. But Nighy and a rather fine cast never let the atmosphere or feel of the film to become too dire or gloomy.
The wry sense of humor and big heart displayed in the film clash perfectly with the bluntness of its central tale. When given less than a year to place a dot on the end of your life, people can do a wide array of things. Brash, sudden, and out of the ordinary are expected outcomes.
For Mr. Williams, it’s just a final opportunity to be that kid on the playground who plays and plays right up until their mom calls for dinner. Few want to be the kid that is merely waiting for the call. That’s from a late moment in the film, one of its finest dialogue blocks.
Life can be taken for granted, so it’s best to do some “Living” before we’re gone. Original screenwriter Akira Kurosawa took a simple idea and breathed poetry into it. The writer of this movie, Kazuo Ishiguro, keeps the deft feel to the writing. Director Oliver Hermanus seems to know exactly what he’s doing behind the camera, placing a new coat of beauty on London’s ever-popular work district.
When it ended, I wanted more--even if what I did receive was pretty good. Go see it. Bill Nighy fans shouldn’t miss this one.
Picture Credit: Sony Pictures Classics.