The stuck civil servant of ‘Living’ wonders: enjoying, how is that supposed to be?

In Living the rock solid remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Ikiru , theJapan of 1952 has been replaced by the England of 1953. That is a smaller stepthan it seems. After all, both societies have a lot in common: disguisingfeelings behind a mask of politeness and courtesy, a highly hierarchical classsociety, formal manners, respect for authorities and a strong tendency towardsconformity.

The adaptation was written by Kazuo Ishiguro, best known for his 1993 filmednovel The Remains of the Day which in its emphasis on emotional constipationhas much in common with Ikiru.

Bill Nighy, in one of his best and most subtle roles, plays Mr. Williams, astiff civil servant in a pinstripe suit and bowler hat who has worked forthirty years at London Town Hall in the Public Works Department, where heinitials documents. In this stuffy ward, beautifully portrayed as a gateway tohell, he leads a joyless life full of drudgery, beautifully depicted bydirector Oliver Hermanus – following Kurosawa – by putting him and his fellowpen-lickers in a dark office at desks full of high stacks of paper toweringabove them, dust-gathering papers next to which they seem insignificant.

Also read an interview with protagonist Bill Nighy: ‘ I’m an Olympic-levelprocrastinator’

Through viscous bureaucracy and sadistic bullying, Public Works sends needycitizens from pillar to post: Living casually illustrates why distrust ofthe government is still so great.

Widower Mr. Williams has his own set of habits, lives with his son and hisbossy fiancée and is seen as unapproachable at the office. Until one bad dayhe turns out to be terminally ill and his monotonous but familiar world issuddenly turned upside down. He keeps the fatal diagnosis to himself, does notshow up at work for a few days and turns up in a coastal town. When he talksto a hedonistic writer in a cafe there, it results in some of the mostbeautiful scenes in the film. Because enjoy, sighs Mr. Williams, how is thatsupposed to be?

The writer takes him on a nightlife tour and takes him from bar to nightclubto strip club. mr. Williams has a great time, sings a sad Scottish folk songand even buys a new, slightly extravagant hat, but the question remains: isthis it?

The bittersweet Living revolves around the question of how to live. Theencounters of Mr. Williams with a younger office mate, the high-spirited andmaverick Margaret Harris (played by Sex Education actress Aimee Lou Wood),give him a push in the right direction. After which his environmentimmediately suspects him of an affair and speaks of it as a shame, becausenarrow-mindedness is also of all times and cultures. In the end, Kurosawa andHermanus answer the question of how to live primarily morally: what is a goodperson?

Very neatly made Living , which looks like a British film from the 1950s,takes the wistful ending and subsequent coda almost directly from Kurosawa’soriginal. This epilogue, more efficiently told than in Ikuru , gives theoptimism of the finale a considerable shadow edge. Changing the status quo isnot that easy.

Drama

Living Director: Oliver Hermanus. Starring: Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood,Alex Sharp, Tom Burke. Length: 102 mins.