Moviefone Editorial

Tag: living

BAFTA Nominations 2023 Announced

Felix Kammerer in ‘All Quiet on the Western Front.’ Credit: Reiner Bajo.

American awards committees and guilds have been dominating the season (and the Oscar nominations drop on Tuesday), but today it was the turn of the British Academy of Film and Television Art, which delivered its movie nominees.

And, at least in terms of the nominees, it was a very good year for Netflix, which saw the latest adaptation of ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ collect an impressive 14 nominations, the most of any movie this year.

Also likely to be happy? A24, which saw ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ do well again, gaining momentum back partly thanks to its haul at the Critics Choice Awards this past weekend.

A fair amount of familiar names and titles from the season popped up this time, with ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ and its cast logging plenty of nominations alongside ‘Tár’, ‘Elvis’ and Guillermo del Toro’s animated take on ‘Pinocchio’.

Director Guillermo del Toro on the set of Netflix’s ‘Pinocchio.’ Photo: Netflix © 2022.

The BAFTAs were also a place for movies that had seen little attention so far, including murder mystery comedy drama ‘See How They Run’ and investigative drama ‘She Said’ appearing on lists, albeit outside the major categories.

Perhaps most interestingly were names that didn’t make the cut––though Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ appeared in Best Original Screenplay, the director was tellingly missing from the director category and the movie didn’t make Best Film. Likewise, box office heavy hitters such as ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ made little impact on the main categories.

Indeed, the director category was a much more diverse offering than some other awards, the likes of James Cameron notable by their absence while ‘The Woman King’s Gina Prince-Bythewood and ‘Decision to Leave’s Park Chan-Wook secured nominations.

And, of course, there was a focus on British talent and output, some of which is unlikely to appear much elsewhere, but we’re glad to see the likes of ‘Brian and Charles’ and ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’, which looked like it was going to be a contender earlier in 2022 but has largely faded beyond a few mentions.

This year’s BAFTA ceremony will take place at Royal Festival Hall in London on February 19th, with Richard E. Grant hosting, pointing to what will hopefully be an entertaining evening.

Paul Mescal as Calum Paterson in A24’s ‘Aftersun.’

Here is the full list of nominees…

Best Film

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
‘Elvis’
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
‘Tár’

Outstanding British Film

‘Aftersun’
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
‘Brian and Charles’
‘Empire of Light’
‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’
‘Living’
‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical’
‘See How They Run’
‘The Swimmers’
‘The Wonder’

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

‘Aftersun’
‘Blue Jean’
‘Electric Malady’
‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’
‘Rebellion’

Film Not in the English Language

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘Argentina, 1985’
‘Corsage’
‘Decision to Leave’
‘The Quiet Girl’

Documentary

‘All That Breathes’
‘All the Beauty and the Bloodshed’
‘Fire of Love’
‘Moonage Daydream’
‘Navalny’

Animated Film

‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’
‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’
‘Turning Red’

Director

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
‘Decision to Leave’
Everything Everywhere All at Once’
‘Tár’
‘The Woman King’

Original Screenplay

‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
‘The Fabelmans’
‘Tár’
‘Triangle of Sadness’

Adapted Screenplay

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘Living’
‘The Quiet Girl’
‘She Said’
‘The Whale’

Leading Actress

Cate Blanchett in ‘Tár’
Viola Davis in ‘The Woman King’
Danielle Deadwyler in ‘Till’
Ana De Armas in ‘Blonde’
Emma Thompson in ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’
Michelle Yeoh in ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’

Leading Actor

Austin Butler in ‘Elvis’
Colin Farrell in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Brendan Fraser in ‘The Whale’
Daryl McCormack in ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’
Paul Mescal in ‘Aftersun’
Bill Nighy in ‘Living’

Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’
Hong Chau in ‘The Whale’
Kerry Condon in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Jamie Lee Curtis in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Dolly De Leon in ‘Triangle of Sadness’
Carey Mulligan in ‘She Said’

Supporting Actor

Brendan Gleeson in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Barry Keoghan in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Ke Huy Quan in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Eddie Redmayne in ‘The Good Nurse’
Albrecht Schuch in ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
Micheal Ward in ‘Empire of Light’

Casting

‘Aftersun’
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘Elvis’
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
‘Triangle of Sadness’

Cinematography

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘The Batman’
‘Elvis’
‘Empire of Light’
‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Costume Design

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘Amsterdam’
‘Babylon’
‘Elvis’
‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’

Editing

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
The Banshees of Inisherin’
‘Elvis’
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Make Up & Hair

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘The Batman’
‘Elvis’
‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical’
‘The Whale’

Original Score

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘Babylon’
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’

Production Design

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘Babylon’
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
‘Elvis’
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’

Special Visual Effects

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
‘The Batman’
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Sound

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
‘Elvis’
‘Tár’
‘Top Gun: Maverick’

British Short Animation

‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’
‘Middle Watch’
‘Your Mountain is Waiting’

British Short Film

‘The Ballad of Olive Morris’
‘Bazigaga’
‘Bus Girl’
‘A Drifting Up’
‘An Irish Goodbye’

EE Bafta Rising Star

Naomi Ackie
Sheila Atim
Emma Mackey
Daryl McCormack
Aimee Lou Wood

Colin Farrell in the film ‘The Banshees of Inisherin.’ Photo by Jonathan Hession. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.

January 19, 2023
Movie Review: ‘Living’

Bill Nighy stars in director Oliver Hermanus’ ‘Living.’

Arriving in theaters on December 23rd, ‘Living’ sees Bill Nighy as a man choosing to try and live even in the face of death and is one of the most moving and poignant movies of the year.

Though his movies have been adapted many times––‘Seven Samurai’ alone is the basis for a wealth of other films––it’s still the brave filmmaker who chooses to tackle one of Akira Kurosawa’s classics.

In this case, the brave souls include writer Kazuo Ishiguro and director Oliver Hermanus, who bring a new version of Kurosawa’s 1952 drama ‘Ikiru’ to screens.

Instead of switching genres, the two have largely faithfully adapted the story (with some changes that shrink the running time to under two hours), moving the setting from 1950s Tokyo to 1950s London. It’s a smart choice, as the themes and emotions of post-war Britain were similar to those of Japan.

Bill Nighy stars in director Oliver Hermanus’ ‘Living.’

Bill Nighy––who according to Ishiguro was one of the reasons he thought the new film could work at all––plays Mr. Williams, a staid, buttoned-up civil servant who works in a department of the London City Council.

He’s so sunken into duty and free from emotion that co-workers joke about him being known as “Mr. Zombie.” It’s an apt description for a man who ostensibly appears to be alive, but only in the most basic fashion. Stiff upper lips have rarely been stiffer.

At work, he’s distant (though not always completely cold) with his colleagues and underlings and more concerned with shuffling papers than being concerned with anyone’s feelings. But then, he’s part of a generation of men raised to be proper and reserved, who have been through a global conflict forever changed.

Then, at home, the widower is still diffident when it comes to his son, Michael (Barney Fishwick), who, encouraged by wife Fiona (Patsy Ferran), is aiming to confront his father about selling the family home so they can get money to buy their own.

Williams’ world is detonated (albeit silently since he decides not to tell anyone at first) by diagnosis of terminal cancer. It does at least prompt him to act, leaving work for days on end and heading to a coastal town in search of something more in life. He meets and hangs out with disheveled, frequently drunken writer Mr. Sutherland (Tom Burke), who introduces him to the salacious delights of burlesque shows and crowded pubs, but despite opening up enough to start singing in one bar, Williams stills feels buttoned up, complaining that while he’s finally seeking out a life, he’s not good at it.

Aimee Lou Wood stars in director Oliver Hermanus’ ‘Living.’

He does at least find some solace in Miss Harris (Aimee Lou Wood), a young woman who had worked in his office before moving to a tea house in search of a better job. Her positive energy has a real effect on him, their chaste friendship becoming more of a motivator in his life, even if his son and daughter-in-law confront him about the potential scandal of Williams spending time with her––this is still 1950s London, don’t forget, where people of his standing are expected to be proper.

And at work, he also becomes more inspired, pushing to help a women’s group get a playground built on a patch of waste ground, seeing it as the most important legacy he can leave behind.

Opening with beautifully restored archive footage of the period before seamlessly segueing into the movie itself, ‘Living’ is a striking, moving achievement.

A lot of that is a credit to Nighy, who has excelled in light comedies and heavy dramas (and the occasional blockbuster, acting through CG prosthetics in some of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies.)

Bill Nighy stars in director Oliver Hermanus’ ‘Living.’

Here, he’s the perfect stone-faced performer for Williams, able to imbue the man with an aloof sense of authority that melts into human realization as time marches on and the character learns of his fate. Nighy can say more with a twitch of his lip than some actors can with an entire monologue.

Which is not to say that Ishiguro’s script isn’t wonderful––it is, finding new layers to the story that even Kurosawa and his esteemed colleagues didn’t dig out.

Director Hermanus, meanwhile, stages it all with style and grace, an evocation of British life at the time that pops off the screen in different ways, whether it’s the forest of suits and bowler hats boarding a train at the start or the tents full of bawdy behavior that Williams experiences on his trip.

And Nighy is surrounded by some superb supporting cast members. Wood, a veteran of Netflix series ‘Sex Education’ is a real delight here, her sprightly yet demure Miss Harris a tonic for the viewer as much as she is for Williams. The likes of Alex Sharp, Adrian Rawlings and Oliver Chris shade in his co-workers even if they’re not the biggest part of the story.

Bill Nighy stars in director Oliver Hermanus’ ‘Living.’

And an awkward scene between Williams and his son is a masterpiece of frosty British reserve, emotions that are bubbling under the surface kept firmly in check.

If there is one downside to the film, it lies in the pacing towards the end (which also affects the original). Once the inevitable befalls Williams, those left behind are a little at sea, and the narrative is similarly impacted. A slightly overlong speech from a policeman reminiscing about having seen Williams sitting in the playground he helped make a reality feels uncomfortable and momentarily breaks the spell that the movie has so effectively cast.

Yet it’s a blip in an otherwise unimpeachable film that rewards patience and confirms that Nighy is one of the best actors working today. Like Williams himself, it might seem cold and mannered, but there’s a huge heart at work in ‘Living’.

‘Living’ receives 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Bill Nighy stars in director Oliver Hermanus’ ‘Living.’
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January 1, 2023
Best Movies of 2022

A24

Coming out of the pandemic, 2022 turned out to be a great year for cinema!

It began with a new take on the Dark Knight from Matt Reeves‘ ‘The Batman,’ followed by the surprise hit ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ then the summer blockbuster sequel ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ and finishing off with James Cameron‘s long-awaited ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ its truly been an amazing year for movies.

With the year quickly coming to a close, Moviefone has assembled its list of the 22 best movies of 2022.

Let’s begin and Happy New Year!

22. ‘Babylon‘ (2022)

Paramount Pictures

From Damien Chazelle, “Babylon’ is an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Jean Smart. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
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21. ‘A Man Called Otto‘ (2023)

Sony Pictures

Actually opening in limited release on December 30th, 2022 and directed by Marc Foster, the movie follows the story of Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), a grumpy widower who is very set in his ways. When a lively young family moves in next door, he meets his match in quick-witted and very pregnant Marisol, (Mariana Treviño) leading to an unlikely friendship that will turn his world upside-down.
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20. ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio‘ (2022)

Netflix

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette (Gregory Mann) who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto (David Bradley). This whimsical, stop-motion film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.
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19. ‘Elvis‘ (2022)

Warner Bros.

Directed by Baz Luhrmann, the film tells the life story of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler) as seen through the complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
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18. ‘Causeway‘ (2022)

Apple TV+

A US soldier (Jennifer Lawrence) suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to life back home in New Orleans. When she meets local mechanic James (Brian Tyree Henry), the pair begin to forge an unexpected bond.
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17. ‘The Fabelmans‘ (2022)

Universal Pictures

Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on his own life story, the movie is set in post-World War II era Arizona and follows young Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), who aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth. Also starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and Judd Hirsch.
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16. ‘The Woman King‘ (2022)

Sony Pictures

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, ‘The Woman King’ tells the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Inspired by true events, the film follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for!
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15. ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery‘ (2022)

Netflix

Directed by Rian Johnson, world-famous detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire (Edward Norton) and his eclectic crew of friends (including Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista).
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14. ‘The Batman‘ (2022)

Warner Bros.

Directed by Matt Reeves, ‘The Batman,’ stars Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne. Also starring Paul Dano as Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, and Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon.
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13. ‘Living‘ (2022)

Lionsgate UK

‘Living’ is the story of an ordinary man (Bill Nighy), reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who at the eleventh hour makes a supreme effort to turn his dull life into something wonderful – into one he can say has been lived to the full.
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12. ‘Prey‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg and part of the ‘Predator‘ franchise, when danger threatens her camp, the fierce and highly skilled Comanche warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder) sets out to protect her people. But the prey she stalks turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal.
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11. ‘Avatar: The Way of Water‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

Directed by Oscar-winning director James Cameron and set more than a decade after the events of ‘Avatar,’ the film tells the story of the Sully family (Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
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10. ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing‘ (2022)

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

Directed by George Miller, the film follows Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton), an academic content with life and a creature of reason. While in Istanbul attending a conference, she happens to encounter a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.

This presents two problems. First, she doubts that he is real and second, because she is a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The Djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past, and eventually she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.
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9. ‘Emily the Criminal‘ (2022)

Roadside Attractions

Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a handsome and charismatic middleman named Youcef (Theo Rossi).

Faced with a series of dead-end job interviews, Emily soon finds herself seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills of black-market capitalism, and increasingly interested in her mentor Youcef. Together, they hatch a plan to bring their business to the next level in Los Angeles.
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8. ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ (2022)

Paramount Pictures

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”

Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
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7. ‘The Northman‘ (2022)

Focus Features

Directed by Robert Eggers, the film follows Prince Amleth, who on the verge of becoming a man witnesses his father (Ethan Hawke) brutally murdered by his uncle (Claes Bang), who kidnaps the boy’s mother (Nicole Kidman). Two decades later, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) is now a Viking who’s on a mission to save his mother, kill his uncle and avenge his father.
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6. ‘The Menu‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

A couple travels (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
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5. ‘Empire of Light‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

Directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes, the film is a love story set in and around an old cinema on the South Coast of England in the 1980s starring Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, Oscar-winner Colin Firth, and Micheal Ward.
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4. ‘She Said‘ (2022)

Universal Studios

New York Times reporters Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) break one of the most important stories in a generation — a story that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood.
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3. ‘Bones and All‘ (2022)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures

Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film tells the story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter. What follows is a liberating road odyssey of two young people coming into their own, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are.
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2. ‘The Banshees of Inisherin‘ (2022)

20th Century Studios

Directed by Martin McDonagh and set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, the film follows lifelong friends Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm (Brendan Gleeson), who find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship.

A stunned Pádraic, aided by his sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan), endeavours to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer. But Pádraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve and when Colm delivers a desperate ultimatum, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.
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1. ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once‘ (2022)

A24

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman (Michelle Yeoh) who can’t seem to finish her taxes, and must tap into the Multiverse in order to save the world. Also starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan and James Hong.
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December 26, 2022
‘Living’ Interviews: Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood

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Opening in theaters on December 23rd is the new drama ‘Living,’ which was directed by Oliver Hermanus (‘Beauty’) and is adapted from the 1952 Japanese film ‘Ikiru’ directed by Akira Kurosawa.

Set in 1950s London, ‘Living’ stars Bill Nighy (‘Love Actually’) as Mr. Williams, an ordinary civil servant who after receiving a grim diagnosis decides to make the most of his final days with the help of a former colleague named Margaret Harris (Aimee Lou Wood).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood about their work on ‘Living,’ their approach to their roles, and the sweet relationship between their characters.

Bill Nighy stars in director Oliver Hermanus’ ‘Living.’

You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Nighy, Wood, and director Oliver Hermanus.

Moviefone: To begin with, Bill, can you talk about your approach to playing Mr. Williams, and what were some of the aspects of the character that you were excited to explore with this film?

Bill Nighy: I was excited to explore that kind of character from my childhood because I was there. I was a small boy during the fifties. The atmosphere of that period and the way that people conducted themselves, I grew up into that. That post-war era and the kind of reticence that was required of people, the reluctance to express anything big and not to trouble one another with your innermost concerns.

It was a kind of religion, and it’s probably very unhealthy. I understand in terms of repression and suppression, but it’s also kind of heroic in its way. I was drawn to, as an acting thing, it’s fun to try and express quite a lot with not very much. I’m interested in that. It’s usually called Englishness, but I’m sure there’s characters like Mr. Williams in every culture. But we take the blame for it.

I just think I’m just really fascinated by that formality, even under great stress, and also procrastination because he spent his life working in an institution designed to facilitate procrastination. I personally procrastinate at an Olympic level. There’s nothing I can’t put off, and I can put it off for as long as you want. When I die, there will be a long list of things I never quite got round to. I’m interested how that personal tendency is expressed in a society because we’re all, my hope it’s not just me, I think everyone has struggles with that tendency.

Aimee Lou Wood stars in director Oliver Hermanus’ ‘Living.’

MF: Finally, Aimee, can you talk about Margaret’s reaction when she sees her former boss outside of the office and in the real world, and the friendship that they form together that really inspires him to live his life to the fullest?

Aimee Lou Wood: Well, you know when you were younger and you saw your teacher out, and you go, “What?” Because there are certain people that, in your head, they only exist within that specific space. I think Margaret has that with Mr. Williams because he’s quite a closed book at the start of the film. So, they’ve been in each other’s presence for, I think, 16 months, but they have not connected.

I think when she sees him out, it’s shocking that he even exists beyond those walls. But then the fact that he has this new hat on, there’s something different about him. That’s how I knew who Margaret was. The minute that line that (screenwriter) Kazuo Ishiguro wrote about, “Oh, and your new hat,” I was like, “Oh, okay. I get who she is.” That she notices all these things, and she can see that there’s something different about him, just by the fact that he has this new hat.

All of a sudden she can see him in this completely new way. That’s also because he’s seeing life in a completely new way. He’s trying to see things and notice things again, after years of being an autopilot. I think she’s quite taken aback by how seen she feels by him when they’ve been sat near each other for 16 months and she’s never felt that until that day. I think it’s just this really surprising, incredible connection that they have.

It’s almost sad because you think, they could have had that 16 months ago. They could have had it from the moment that they met if they just had a different perspective. It’s Mr. Williams’ newfound desire to live that brings them together.

Bill Nighy stars in director Oliver Hermanus’ ‘Living.’
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December 23, 2022