LIVING

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Living (2022)

This is a lovely film highlighted by a profound and moving performance by veteran actor Bill Nighy.

Set in London of the early 1950s, it tells the tale of a staid,
near taciturn mid-level bureaucrat chief (Mr. Williams) working in London city government where he and the lower level workers in his unit perform their workaday duties. Each morning they all routinely travel to work on the train, faithfully ply their seemingly meaningless function of essentially passing the buck, then return again home on the train.

One day a trio of ladies approach
es Williams’ unit insisting that a small public children’s playground be built on a track of city land that is in a state of neglect and disrepair. The ladies are subsequently shuffled from bureau to bureau, with each unit insisting it is not their purview, and in turn referring them on until they are eventually referred full circle back to Williams’ group. Williams then accepts their request, but simply files it in a high stack of things to consider, which is rather a development graveyard.

Mr. Williams in time learns through his physician that he has a terminal abdominal cancer. He accepts the diagnosis with a sedate composure. He then
intuits several paths on which to live out his remaining months. His final decision is the heart of the film. Along the way he accidentally comes into contact with a previous young female employee who is energetic and life-loving. His envy of her philosophy and their relationship causes Williams to come to certain insights which inspire him to pursue a civic project. We’ll not disclose the outcome of the film for those who haven’t seen it.

It’s impossible to imagine a performance of more depth than Bill Nighy’s Mr. Williams. His facial expressions, quiet reserve, self effac
ement, and subtle movements draw us into the character who is fondly remembered long after the final credits roll. Aimee Lou Wood also provides a strong performance as Miss Harris, the young carefree former employee who ultimately serves as Williams’ inspiration.

The production design, period costuming and settings were flawless. Actual footage of 1950s London were seamlessly blended into the contemporary production. The music score by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, often consisting of solo piano, was subtle and effective. If there is any weakness in the picture, the reverence
dramatized towards the ending is perhaps a little melodramatic.

Living
is not only one of the chief films of recent times, but is one of the best films so far of the 21st Century.

Doc’s rating: 9/10



Gracias; Doc elected not to tag it to have it show up in the queue, but it obviously meets the criteria, so I guess I'm posting this just to make 100% sure he wants it tagged. Fine by me, if he does.



Gracias; Doc elected not to tag it to have it show up in the queue, but it obviously meets the criteria, so I guess I'm posting this just to make 100% sure he wants it tagged. Fine by me, if he does.
I'm afraid I don't know how to tag the review. Perhaps you would let me know about that. I've posted a bunch of reviews over the years in this section, and the tag feature has never come up.

And thank you, beelzebubble, for your kind words.

~Doc



I'm afraid I don't know how to tag the review. Perhaps you would let me know about that. I've posted a bunch of reviews over the years in this section, and the tag feature has never come up.
There's a checkbox beneath the post area every time you post something (though not on Quick Reply, just on the "full" Reply page) that says "Suggest this post for inclusion in the Reviews area." There's a link afterwards with some basic criteria and an explanation.



There's more here, as well.



Oh yes, I've seen that check box, but never knew what it was.

I post reviews of only major films in the "Movie Reviews" section for the reason that they stay visible longer; whereas IMO my reviews of more minor pictures don't need to be there. If one posts reviews in the "Rate the last movie you saw" thread, they go out of sight within a day.

But don't reviews posted in the "Movie Reviews" section even without use of the checkbox stay there unless they're deleted by the mods?

Thanks,
~Doc




Living (2022)

This is a lovely film highlighted by a profound and moving performance by veteran actor Bill Nighy.

Set in London of the early 1950s, it tells the tale of a staid,
near taciturn mid-level bureaucrat chief (Mr. Williams) working in London city government where he and the lower level workers in his unit perform their workaday duties. Each morning they all routinely travel to work on the train, faithfully ply their seemingly meaningless function of essentially passing the buck, then return again home on the train.

One day a trio of ladies approach
es Williams’ unit insisting that a small public children’s playground be built on a track of city land that is in a state of neglect and disrepair. The ladies are subsequently shuffled from bureau to bureau, with each unit insisting it is not their purview, and in turn referring them on until they are eventually referred full circle back to Williams’ group. Williams then accepts their request, but simply files it in a high stack of things to consider, which is rather a development graveyard.

Mr. Williams in time learns through his physician that he has a terminal abdominal cancer. He accepts the diagnosis with a sedate composure. He then
intuits several paths on which to live out his remaining months. His final decision is the heart of the film. Along the way he accidentally comes into contact with a previous young female employee who is energetic and life-loving. His envy of her philosophy and their relationship causes Williams to come to certain insights which inspire him to pursue a civic project. We’ll not disclose the outcome of the film for those who haven’t seen it.

It’s impossible to imagine a performance of more depth than Bill Nighy’s Mr. Williams. His facial expressions, quiet reserve, self effac
ement, and subtle movements draw us into the character who is fondly remembered long after the final credits roll. Aimee Lou Wood also provides a strong performance as Miss Harris, the young carefree former employee who ultimately serves as Williams’ inspiration.

The production design, period costuming and settings were flawless. Actual footage of 1950s London were seamlessly blended into the contemporary production. The music score by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, often consisting of solo piano, was subtle and effective. If there is any weakness in the picture, the reverence
dramatized towards the ending is perhaps a little melodramatic.

Living
is not only one of the chief films of recent times, but is one of the best films so far of the 21st Century.

Doc’s rating: 9/10
How does it compare to the original?



I post reviews of only major films in the "Movie Reviews" section for the reason that they stay visible longer; whereas IMO my reviews of more minor pictures don't need to be there. If one posts reviews in the "Rate the last movie you saw" thread, they go out of sight within a day.

But don't reviews posted in the "Movie Reviews" section even without use of the checkbox stay there unless they're deleted by the mods?
There's actually a distinction here: when I say it goes in the Reviews area, I mean this area:

https://www.movieforums.com/reviews

That's the big orange-lined link in the header, distinct from the "Movie Reviews" forum. Posts tagged as Reviews also show up in this totally different section that's only reviews. They show up in searches there, too, they show up on that film's individual movie page, and on your profile, and on any related Clubs pages. So while they'll continue to exist just fine even if they're "only" on the forums, this is a way to slot them into lots of other relevant places, and make them easier to find, for people who aren't always reading the forums, or even if they are, to help them not just get lost in that shuffle.

It'll probably factor into more features and interlinking parts over time, too.

You have the ability to go and edit the post and check the box, but for expediency I'll just go tag it directly now.



How does it compare to the original?
I don't believe I've ever seen Kurosawa's original Ikiru. I'll have to fire it up one of these days. Probably the chief thing I like about Living is Bill Nighy's superb performance.



There's actually a distinction here: when I say it goes in the Reviews area, I mean this area:

https://www.movieforums.com/reviews

That's the big orange-lined link in the header, distinct from the "Movie Reviews" forum. Posts tagged as Reviews also show up in this totally different section that's only reviews. They show up in searches there, too, they show up on that film's individual movie page, and on your profile, and on any related Clubs pages. So while they'll continue to exist just fine even if they're "only" on the forums, this is a way to slot them into lots of other relevant places, and make them easier to find, for people who aren't always reading the forums, or even if they are, to help them not just get lost in that shuffle.

It'll probably factor into more features and interlinking parts over time, too.

You have the ability to go and edit the post and check the box, but for expediency I'll just go tag it directly now.
Oh, I wasn't even aware of those sections. Next time I write review of a major film I'll check that suggestion box. Thanks.