Living

    

    Bill Nighy is simply fantastic in a nuanced performance of a British bureaucrat facing a terminal illness who reassesses the way he has lived his life. The film is based on a Japanese film, "Ikiru", which in turn was inspired from the Russian novel, "The Death of Ivan llyich".

    Set in London, 1952, Mr. Nighy plays Mr. Williams, a buttoned up, conservative, senior manager at Public Works. His character and the staff under him are typical of the white collar British "gentlemen" of the time. Pinstripe suits, bowler hats, repressed emotions and umbrellas are the uniform of the day.

    When Mr. Williams learns of his illness, he decides to change his old ways for the better but the change is subtle and not drastic. It is a purposeful, understated performance that has been recognized in an Academy Award nomination for Mr. Nighy.

    The film costars Aimee Lou Wood as Ms. Harris, Tom Burke as Mr. Sutherland, Arian Rawlins as Mr. Middleton and Alex Sharpe as Mr. Wakeling. it is a fine cast that captures perfectly the characteristics of the British establishment at the time. 

    The film is heartbreaking in Mr. Williams inability to convey his feelings or even divulge his illness to his family or co-workers but there is a charming buoyancy that grows in Mr. Williams late in the film that keeps it far from a bleak ending.

  This Indie drama rests on squarely on Mr. Nighy's shoulders and he does not disappoint.