Directed by Oliver Hermanus (The Endless River; Shirley Adams; Beauty) and starring Bill Nighy (Love Actually; About Time; The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel; Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End), Aimee Lou Wood (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain; Uncle Vanya; Sex Education (tv series)), Alex Sharp (The Hustle; The Trial of the Chicago 7) and Adrian Rawlins (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Darkest Hour; The Old Curiosity Dhop: Sanditon (tv series)).
Drama; 102 mins; 12+
A melancholy, poignant and thought-provoking tale of someone approaching retirement, or at least middle-aged, who decides to change things one he learns he has only months to live. It has some funny and emotional moments, and is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, but this is a study of someone who has confirmed to societal norms without expressing feelings all their life.
Based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro, and a remake of the 1952 film Ikiru; this time set in post-war England, in 1950s London.
Mr Williams (Bill Nighy) has been a civil servant for many years and heads a small team of paper-pushers; sometimes requests are simply put aside or fobbed off onto another department who likely adopt the same indifference. He is humourless and leads a mundane existence with a monotonous routine.
However, his life changes when he is diagnosed with a serious illness that forces him to reevaluate his life. He skips work and seeks companionship, first with an artist (Richard Cunningham) who brings him to pubs and nightclubs to let his hair down, then a young female colleague Margaret Harris (Aimee Lou Wood), who is leaving her position to take up a job at a nearby café. In both cases, he is attracted by, and drawn to, their enthusiasm for living and their outlook on life. During this time, these are the only people in whom he confides, not even his son and daughter-in-law who live in the same house, nor his work colleagues, including Mr Wakeling (Alex Sharp) and Mr Middleton (Adrian Rawlins).
One of the sub-plots, but entirely central to the overall story, is a group of three women who persistently arrive at the council offices in person to try to get someone to take responsibility and address their request for a children's playground.
Maybe he can achieve something before he has left this world? Only after his death does the audience learn how he acted out his final days, with layer after layer being revealed in a wonderful blend of storytelling.
Great cinematography to capture London in the 1950s, and a wonderful soundtrack to mirror the almost sepia and nostaligic tones of the film.
Currently screening at Kinepolis and CiNextDoor in Luxembourg.
