Film: Living

Bill Nighy gives the performance of a lifetime in Oliver Hermanus' poignant remake of Akira Kurosawa's film Ikiru, about an emotionally-muffled man looking for meaning in his life after receiving a terminal diagnosis. The film was scripted by Kazuo Ishiguro, the much-awarded Japanese-born British writer.

Set in a grey 1953 London, still recovering from bomb damage, we are introduced to Mr Williams in his pinstripe suit and bowler hat as he joins similarly dressed colleagues on the early morning commute from somewhere in the Surrey suburbs to County Hall in Westminster, near Waterloo Station. (As someone who remembers County Hall when it was the City Hall and headquarters of Inner London Education Authority it was interesting to see.) In their smoke-filled, dull and dusty office, a young clerk Margaret (beautifully played by Aimee Lou Wood) tells a newcomer the planning applications pile up in 'skyscrapers'. Mr Williams home life is equally joyless - we gather his wife died in the war. There's little communication or warmth with his son and daughter in law who live with him.

After hearing the news from his doctor "This is never easy" - "Quite" - he responds. Unable to tell anyone, Mr Williams bunks off to the seaside for a few days, going on a boozy binge with a beatnik writer (Tom Burke) he meets in a pub.

Back in London, he bumps into Margaret - who has decided to leave the planning office for a new job working as a deputy manager in Lyons Corner House. They strike up a strong platonic friendship. Mr Williams eventually confides in Margaret - and then embarks on his final great quest.

The visual depiction of early 1950's London, the fashions, manners and language too are beautifully portrayed here. The musical score composed by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch - together with extracts from Dvorak's Serenade for Strings E Op 22 - perfect. The film follows Kurosawa's Ikiru quite closely - instead of a Japanese folk song we hear Mr Williams gently singing The Rowan Tree - very touching.

I was reminded of Katherine Tynan's poem The Great Mercy: 'Between the saddle and the ground, was mercy sought and mercy found.'

This gentle, sad but uplifting and totally life-affirming film is one of the best I've seen this year.

Living is being released this Friday, 4 November. See the official trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2L8CP31-14