I watched the trailer for this film, I was fascinated to see it was an English language remake of the 1952 Akira Kurosawa film Ikiru ("to live"), and I heard it was getting positive reviews, so I wasn't going to miss it. Basically, set in 1950s Britain, Peter Wakeling (Alex Sharp) is starting his new job at a bureaucratic office in London. The longest serving civil servant who has worked in the same monotonous position is the joyless Mr. Williams (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Bill Nighy). At work, his office is full of bureaucratic inaction, including one case where a group of parents want a dilapidated neighbourhood cleared out and replaced by a children's playground. This document is passed through the various departments before ending back where it started, and it is just put in a pile. One day, Williams goes to hospital for a check-up, where Doctor Matthews (Jonathan Keeble) confirms that he has a tumour, which is cancerous and incurable, and he has only a few months left to live. Williams attempts to come to terms with having terminal cancer and with his impending death. He plans to tell his son about the cancer but decides against it when his son does not pay attention to him. He decides to distract himself with some of London's nightlife During the night, he meets eccentric filmmaker Sutherland (Tom Burke) who guides him. They go to a nightclub, where Williams requests a song from the piano player, and he breaks down whilst singing. His singing greatly affects those watching him. But after one night indulging in the nightlife, Williams realises this is not the solution. The following day, Williams encounters Margaret Harris (Aimee Lou Wood), a young female employee at his office who needs his signature to confirm her resignation. He takes comfort in observing her joyous love of life and enthusiasm and tries to spend as much time as possible with her. Williams takes her to a restaurant, and she admits she has nicknames for all the staff in the office, and her nickname for him is "Mr. Zombie". As time passes, Margaret becomes suspicious of his intentions and grows weary of him. After convincing her to join him for the last time, he tells her the truth about his health and asks for the secret to her love of life. Margaret is emotional and says that she does not know, but that she found happiness in her new job making toys and knowing that they will bring happiness to children. Inspired by her, Williams realises that it is not too late for him to do something significant. He decides he wants to make something, and through the city bureaucracy he remembers the lobbying for a playground. He surprises his colleagues returning to work after a long absence and begins pushing for the cite to be cleaned and for a playground to be built. He has concerns that he is intruding on the jurisdiction of other departments but is determined to get it finished before he dies. Sometime later, Williams dies, with his former co-workers gathering at his wake, following the opening of the playground, and try to figure out what caused such a dramatic change in his behaviour. His transformation from listless bureaucrat to passionate advocate puzzles them. As the co-workers drink, they slowly realise that Williams must have known he was dying, even when his son denied this, as he was unaware of his father's condition. They also hear from a witness that in the last few moments of his life, Williams sat on the playground swing at the park he built whilst it was snowing. The bureaucrats vow to live their lives with the same dedication and passion as he did. But back at work, they lack the courage of their newfound conviction. Also starring Adrian Rawlins as Middleton, Hubert Burton as Rusbridger, Oliver Chris as Hart, Michael Cochrane as Sir James, and Matilda Ziegler as Prim Lady. Nighy gives a credible performance as the old man with a stiff upper lip struggling to find a meaning and purpose for his life, after years in a joyless existence, there are many moving parts and a terrific score by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, it is an intimate story of mortality, self-reflection and redemption, it is overly melancholic and only slightly funny at times, I'm not sure if it is quite as great as the original film, but it is a most watchable drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and it was nominated the BAFTAs for Outstanding British Film of the Year, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Very good!