Living (2022)

Living (2022). Living: Directed by Oliver Hermanus. With Alex Sharp, Adrian Rawlins, Hubert Burton, Oliver Chris. In 1950s London, a humorless civil servant decides to take time off work to experience life after receiving a grim diagnosis.

“I had no preconceptions or expectations when I went to see this film. I left the cinema feeling deeply moved, alongside a range of emotions including sadness and joy, amidst a sense that I had just been immersed in one of the best cinematic works of art in a very long time. In the jaded world of todayu0026#39;s cinema where nothing is really new anymore, and movies peddle the Incredible, with disappointing over the top drama, this filmu0026#39;s simplicity was its outstanding and defining feature. Accompanied by a haunting soundtrack, it tells the very human story of a man (Nighy) who has six months left to live and how he chooses to make his mark and get satisfaction from celebrating the ordinary and achieving a modest but much loved and celebrated goal. The performances were outstanding in their subtlety (who knew Nighy had such a beautiful singing voice), and the direction by Hermanus was perfect – designed to tell a simple story and get the best from the actors without being obtrusive or distracting. The setting in 1950s London, portraying a world of grey bureaucracy mirrors todayu0026#39;s corporate, health, and social care worldu0026#39;s perfectly, with the final message to embrace and accept that which u0026quot;doesnu0026#39;t quite fitu0026quot; sending a humorous yet pointed message to us all.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDefinitely bring the tissues – but celebrate it too as one of the best films in years.”