Oscar-winning Japanese director Akira Kurosawa may have died in 1998, but death hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the more active storytellers in cinema. The 2016 remake of his "Seven Samurai," "The Magnificent Seven" drew crowds even though Hollywood had already successfully retooled it decades earlier.
Sadly, I can't consult a medium like the ones his characters did in "Rashomon" to determine if Kurosawa would like South African filmmaker Oliver Hermanus' "Living," a remake of the master's 1954 "Ikiru." The original title means "To Live," and Hermanus and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day," "Never Let Me Go") effortlessly move the tale to London.
The move works because the British capital suffered heavy bombardment during World War II just as Tokyo did. Ishiguro, who received on Oscar nomination Jan. 24, follow's Kurosawa's storyline almost to the letter, but he adds a uniquely English accent to the story that makes "Living" more than a ChatGPT copy of its predecessor. Ishiguro collaborated with Merchant-Ivory on "The Remains of the Day" and "The White Countess," and the writer is adept at capturing the reserve of his countrymen and the burning emotions it doesn't always hide.
As the film navigates London's bureaucracy, a group of polite similar looking middle-aged men tell a group of women that they appreciate the ladies' concerns. The constituents simply want to convert the rotting aftermath of a V2 rocket strike into a playground. Even though it would be a reasonable expense in Britain's struggling post-World War II economy, the officials all smile at the women and compliment their proposal.
If one could translate their words to what the men really meant, every syllable would probably be a contemptible expletive. Ishiguro thankfully trusts his viewers enough not to have characters say things we can already see.
Upon witnessing a seemingly endless parade of identical figures in bowler hats mechanically proceeding through London, it takes no extra effort to conclude that toiling for Public Works must be soul crushing.
Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy, who also received an Oscar nod) looks even more lifeless than his subordinates. While he speaks clearly and walks upright, he looks so cadaverous that his co-workers dub him "Mr. Zombie."
He's so dead inside that he looks far older than his actual age. Another factor could be that he has gastric cancer.
Hearing that he has less than a year to live is a devastating blow even to a man who simply shuffles files across his desk without doing anything with them. He simply declares that they "do no harm" there.
They don't do much good, either.
True to his reserved, English character, Nighy doesn't advertise Williams' struggle. A lot of filmmakers might have wanted to emphasize the bureaucrat's failing health, and many actors would probably revel a little much in all the emotions bottled under that bowler.
Nighy wisely lets his posture and his voice convey the status of Williams' spirit. He doesn't need much in the way of makeup to convey a fellow coming alive as his body is failing him. While Nighy may be following in the challenging footsteps of Takashi Shimura's ("Gojira") performance, he manages to claim the role for himself.
When Bill Clinton said he was excited about seeing movies at the White House screening room, Roger Ebert recommended "Ikiru" to him so that the then-new president could see how a public official's life could affect others. Two weeks ago, I lamented how too many English-language films simply repeat what has already been said more eloquently in subtitles. Now, however, I'm happy that Clinton and others could probably get a welcome reminder that life shouldn't end behind a desk filled with neglected folders.
86 Cast: Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp, Adrian Rawlins, Hubert Burton, Oliver Chris, Michael Cochrane
Director: Oliver Hermanus
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes
Playing theatrically
Salary earners Wakeling (Alex Sharp), Rusbridger (Hubert Burton), Mrs. Button (Ffion Jolly ) and Hart (Oliver Chris) keep calm and carry on in Oliver Hermanus’ “Living.”