“Living,” May 14, 2023 (2022), DVD. What a long time between movies. The Bruins and Celtics in the playoffs have consumed way too much of our consciously limited screen-time. With embarrassment, I admit I’ve been avoiding this remake of Akira Kurosawa’s brilliant 1952 film “Ikiru [To Live.]” The latter is one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen. I treasured it too much to risk the mess that usually happens in such an adaptation.
However, written by Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro, this fine British version starring the wonderfully soft-spoken Bill Nighy (Oscar nomination for Best Actor) creates its own spot-on version of the story of British salaryman, Mr. Williams, sleepwalking through life until he confronts the reality of his impending demise. The shift from the Japanese to British bureaucracy is smooth and appropriate.
The acting is fine all-round, and Emilie Levenase-Farrouche’s music provides a lovely aural setting for the story. Tom Burke and Aimee Lou Wood are both excellent as guides – intentional or unwitting – to Williams’ as he searches for meaning in a meaningless world.
While I still favor the original, this was a meaningful, thoughtful and well-done homage, And Nighy really did a stellar job.