by Bailey Pennick
Progress rarely comes from staying in your comfort zone. To try is to be uncomfortable, but if you make the effort, extraordinary things can happen - like building a new playground for children in need, or, in the case of Oliver Hermanus, taking the helm of a remake of a classic piece of cinema.
It was a strange journey for me, the director says at the digital premiere of his new film. I'm from South Africa and to take on this film, which is an adaptation of [Akira] Kurosawa's Ikiru, [with a screenplay] written by Kazuo Ishiguro, is unlike the other films I've worked on Hermanus, making his Sundance Film Festival debut, worked closely with the Nobel and Booker Prize-winning British author to develop the script and a fresh take on the 1952 Japanese drama about life's true purpose.
We really didn't speak much about Kurosawa, says Hermaus, elaborating about the pandemic collaboration process with Ishiguro. We agreed that we were making a particular movie about England and this particular character and time, so we really focused on what we were making instead of being too stressed out by the looming shadow of Kurosawa in the background.
Looming shadow is an apt way to describe the plot and surroundings of Living. Williams (a nuanced and tender Bill Nighy) is the longtime government employee, overseeing London's public works department. His reputation - a decent chap, a bit on the frosty side as seen by new public works employee Mr. Wakeling (Alex Sharp) - precedes him before he even steps aboard the morning train. Around the office, gigantic piles of unanswered public works projects eclipse the view of the teammates, nagging ghosts that Williams has spent decades keeping in purgatory with his well-worn but polite catchphrase: But we can keep it here, it does no harm.
Doing no harm suddenly isn't enough for Williams when he realizes that his lingering illness is terminal and he only has six months to live. Living in 1952 London, our ailing protagonist is a typical stiff-upper-lip Brit: uncomfortable with his emotions and struggling to express himself to his weak-willed son or his employees.
I'm fascinated by [this] kind of Englishness [of Williams], shares Nighy. That kind of reserved, modest behavior that kind of reticence that is very English. He pauses, thinking about his role and his own experience as an Englishman who grew up in postwar Britain. My father was that kind of character, and the fact that [my character in this film] is then put into an extreme situation, there are rich pickings there.
This connection, which they forge over long walks and Cary Grant films, is solidified when Williams confides in Margaret about his cancer diagnosis. She implores him to express himself and tell his family, but now that Williams has taken the end of his life into his own hands, no longer Mr. Zombie, he wants to put his lasting energy in doing good instead of just doing no harm. He stares down the massive shadow of WWII and England's collective trauma by pushing through the discomfort of bureaucracy and getting a playground built for neighborhood families.
In the end of Living, Williams, himself, becomes the ghost that's haunting the halls of public works and the winding streets of London. His kindness and decency builds a legacy that he didn't ask for - his childhood desire was just to be a gentleman - and his spirited push for actual progress casts a dark shadow over the paper pushers in his department who don't heed his warning to live life to the fullest.
The message of Living continues to reverberate with its cast even after its completion. This film did change me personally and my perspective on life, Wood says. Because when you're in that world where people are so present and about connection, it's hard to go back to a world where you've got your phone and you're always thinking about the past and the future, and not about now.
Speaking as someone who procrastinates at an Olympic level and gets a kick out of not doing things, when I was young we used to pride ourselves on doing absolutely nothing, squandering time, Nighy adds, with his signature sly smirk. But because of my age, when playing this role, I decided that my new year's resolution has been not to waste a moment of time. He takes a beat and thinks about what it means to be in Living. It got my attention in a big way.
North America Stories
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and gaming, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI - building across...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
14/07/2026
Victory+ telecasts to be simulcast on TEGNA-owned station, expanding free local distribution...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
IBC2026 has unveiled a powerful Conference programme bringing together global media leaders, technology innovators, creators, sports organisations, broadcasters...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, has delivered two highly capable outsid...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/07/2026
Telos Alliance Adds AudioShake Source Separation to Minnetonka Audio AudioToo...
by Bailey Pennick
