I love Bill Nighy and he did a great job in this film. But the film itself, in attempting to be accessible to the microsecond attention span of today's audiences, lost a lot of the deep meaning of the original. I mean, it is the same story, but it felt like something else entirely, and I watched these films back to back. Of course, it's hard to translate something from a culture to another when they are so different. Even placing the story in 1960ish England can't make it close to 1952 Japan. The plot becomes just the story of the main character and less the social critique that I felt the original film be.
One good thing that the film has going for it is the small length. Instead of 2 hours 23 you get a normal 1 hour and 45 minutes length. The pacing is much improved as well. However the inspiring and poignant moments from Ikiru are few and far between in Living.
The story remains the same: an old guy who has wasted his life in a meaningless existence, both at home and at work, finds out he is dying. He then tries to make up for it by living to the fullest the last few months he has left. Yet the film cannot be a satire of British society, since it has changed dramatically since 2022 and no one cares. It cannot be about family relations, as being estranged with your parents today is hardly shocking. It cannot be a discussion about politicians with empty words and empty hearts or bureaucrats covering their asses or about the corruption of society by money, gangsters and foreign influence, because those parts were mostly left out. All you have left is a shallow outcry against generic bureaucracy and a pointless love affair at the end between people you couldn't care less about.
If it weren't for Bill Nighy's moving performance I would have called this a failed attempt. As such I will rate it average. Go watch the original!
One good thing that the film has going for it is the small length. Instead of 2 hours 23 you get a normal 1 hour and 45 minutes length. The pacing is much improved as well. However the inspiring and poignant moments from Ikiru are few and far between in Living.
The story remains the same: an old guy who has wasted his life in a meaningless existence, both at home and at work, finds out he is dying. He then tries to make up for it by living to the fullest the last few months he has left. Yet the film cannot be a satire of British society, since it has changed dramatically since 2022 and no one cares. It cannot be about family relations, as being estranged with your parents today is hardly shocking. It cannot be a discussion about politicians with empty words and empty hearts or bureaucrats covering their asses or about the corruption of society by money, gangsters and foreign influence, because those parts were mostly left out. All you have left is a shallow outcry against generic bureaucracy and a pointless love affair at the end between people you couldn't care less about.
If it weren't for Bill Nighy's moving performance I would have called this a failed attempt. As such I will rate it average. Go watch the original!