It wasn’t until the opening credits rolled that I realized that Living was an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru (1952).  That makes it a big deal; I saw Ikiru in the early 1980s and immediately classified it as one of the greatest films I had ever seen.  I still have fond impressions of how affected I was after seeing it, though specific memories are sparse.  Evidently screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro had wished to make an English-language version for many years, and he personally recruited Bill Nighy for the role.  The result is a very good film — though I still prefer the original.

Oliver Hermanus’ film follows staid civil servant Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy) in 1950s-era London as he learns that he has incurable cancer.  His immediate reaction is to take time away from his perfectly ordered office to process the information.  Then encounters with one of his office underlings, Miss Harris (Aimee Lou Wood), lead him to reexamine his life and try to finish it doing something positive.  Williams dedicates himself to cutting through piles of bureaucratic red tape to approve a children’s park, and supervise its building himself.

The original Ikiru story is both inspiring and heartbreaking; in Kurosawa’s hands it is timelessly told and remarkably evocative.  Director Hermanus follows the same path, yet it isn’t quite as effective in my eyes.  Perhaps seeing / hearing the story in Japanese made it more universal for me, emphasizing that anyone, anywhere would have certain, specific reactions that anyone else might have, and yet ultimately decide to do something personally fulfilling in the face of death.  This new English version is the same story, which should be quite powerful to anyone unfamiliar with its plot, yet it seems overly mannered and paced and performed to me, compared with the brilliant original.

Perhaps it is as simple as me just loving the first version I saw; any subsequent version simply doesn’t measure up.  That has happened to me before, where I prefer a second or third version to a beloved original only because I just respond positively to the first version I’ve seen.  Living is a good film and I certainly recommend it.  Bill Nighy is excellent and the supporting cast shines as well.  But do yourself a favor and watch the original, which is even better.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  10 February 2023.