Drama

Living

- It's never too late to start.

London, 1953. Mr. Williams, a veteran civil servant, is an important cog within the city's bureaucracy as it struggles to rebuild in the aftermath of World War II. Buried under paperwork at the office and lonely at home, his life has long felt empty and meaningless. Then a devastating medical diagnosis forces him to take stock, and to try and grasp some fulfilment before it passes permanently beyond reach.

Release Date : 2022-11-04

Language :EnglishPortugueseSpanish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Number 9 FilmsFilm4 ProductionsCounty Hall ArtsLipsync ProductionsRocketScienceKurosawa ProductionFilmgate FilmsFilm i VästWoolley/Karlsen Productions

Production Country : JapanSwedenUnited Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Williams

Original Name : Bill Nighy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Margaret Harris

Original Name : Aimee Lou Wood

Gender : Female

Character Name : Peter Wakeling

Original Name : Alex Sharp

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sutherland

Original Name : Tom Burke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Middleton

Original Name : Adrian Rawlins

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hart

Original Name : Oliver Chris

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rusbridger

Original Name : Hubert Burton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. McMasters

Original Name : Zoe Boyle

Gender : Female

Character Name : Michael

Original Name : Barney Fishwick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fiona

Original Name : Patsy Ferran

Gender : Female

Character Name : Sir James

Original Name : Michael Cochrane

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Smith

Original Name : Lia Williams

Gender : Female

Character Name : Singh

Original Name : Anant Varman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Porter

Original Name : Jessica Flood

Gender : Male

Character Name : Talbot

Original Name : Jamie Wilkes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Harvey

Original Name : Richard Cunningham

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jones

Original Name : John Mackay

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Button

Original Name : Ffion Jolly

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Matthews

Original Name : Celeste Dodwell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Doctor Matthews

Original Name : Jonathan Keeble

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miss Fry

Original Name : Eunice Roberts

Gender : Female

Character Name : Young Michael

Original Name : Mark James

Gender : Male

Character Name : Colleague

Original Name : Edward Wolstenholme

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Blake

Original Name : Nichola McAuliffe

Gender : Female

Character Name : Piano Man

Original Name : Laurie Denman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Barwoman

Original Name : Gleanne Purcell-Brown

Gender : Female

Character Name : Striptease Artist

Original Name : Violeta Valverde

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fortnums Watier

Original Name : Michael James

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Johnstone

Original Name : Rosie Sansom

Gender : Female

Character Name : Prim Lady

Original Name : Matilda Ziegler

Gender : Female

Character Name : Lyons Head Waiter

Original Name : Grant Gillespie

Gender : Male

Character Name : Distinguished Gentleman #1

Original Name : Robin Sebastian

Gender : Male

Character Name : Distinguished Gentleman #2

Original Name : David Summer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Landlady

Original Name : Nicky Goldie

Gender : Female

Character Name : Police Constable

Original Name : Thomas Coombes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Commuter (uncredited)

Original Name : Grant Crookes

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-11-05

Now I am not usually a particular fan of Bill Nighy but in this he is very much at the top of his game. An adaptation of Kurosawa's "Ikuru" (1952), the setting is shifted to London where Nighy is the fastidious "Mr. Williams". A local civil servant heading up the public works department of the London County Council. His small team has some new blood in the form of "Mr. Wakeling" (Alex Sharp) whose baptism in the department is to accompany three ladies (and the audience) on a revelative journey through the pillar-to-post red tape that "Williams" himself facilitates - all guaranteeing that very little actually ever gets done! Leaving early one day, we discover that this erstwhile precise and predictable individual is seriously ill. Unable and/or unwilling to divulge this information to his son, he absconds to the seaside where he encounters "Sutherland" (Tom Burke) who gives him a relaxing tour of the local hotspots before he return to London and happens upon one of his team "Miss Harris" (Aimee Lou Wood). A posh luncheon ensues and the elderly gent and his young colleague start to bond. This bond soon has - unbeknown to either of them - tongues wagging, but when she gets a new job he finds himself drawn to her. Drawn to her joie de vivre and general enthusiasm for a life he knows he will not have for too much longer. That becomes contagious as he decides to apply himself, and his team, to achieving at least one more thing in a professional capacity! It is a gently paced and evocative story that deals with that sense of re-prioritisation faced by anyone when faced with a profound change in circumstances. Nighy has a delightfully understated manner to his performance here, Wood is also effective as his increasingly valuable confidente and Oliver Hermanus manages to retain much of the charm and subtly potent impetus of the original Ishiguro story. It is beautifully scored by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch who incorporates original and powerful themes with established classical ones. The costumes and overall aesthetic of the film complements well the classy and impressive performances that resonated in quite a thought-provoking, and multi-layered fashion as I watched it. I was engaged by this from start to finish and I really quite enjoyed it.

Peter McGinn

@narrator56

2023-11-16

This is one of the better “quiet” movies, as I call them, that I have watched in a long time. Bill Nighy seems to excel in restrained roles, where he speaks quietly and shows emotion subtly. I am thinking especially of The Girl in the Cafe, where he oddly enough also plays a civil servant. Nighy is wonderful and methodical (in a good way) as a man who is thawing out from a repetitious, paralyzed life after he receives life-altering news. He even impresses when he sings a song in the same quiet, restrained manner. A flashback is applied in an odd way nearer the end of the movie, but it works as an imaginative way to fill in the details of the ending. I fully expect to watch this again.