LFF: Living (12A)

Mon 1 January 0001 - Sun 9 October 2022

UK | 2022 | 102’ | 12A | Oliver Hermanus | Bill Nighy, Tom Burke

Having lived in a stupor since his wife’s death, Williams (Nighy) lives out his life through the observance of daily rituals. But then the civil servant receives some shocking news. A modest man, Williams embarks on an odyssey of discovery, encountering seaside bohemian Sutherland (Tom Burke) and opening up to co-worker Margaret (Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood).

Director Oliver Hermanus (Moffie), screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro (author of Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go), producer Stephen Woolley (Carol), the consummate trio behind Living, have created a film of tremendous balance and grace, which hums with their love of cinema. Sandy Powell’s costumes are crisp monotones with eager accents of colour, while cinematographer Jamie Ramsay’s chilly silvery frames perfectly capture Whitehall in the 1950s. And Nighy, in one of the finest performances of a distinguished career, imbues every scene with a quiet and wistful sense of wonder.

BFI London Film Festival (#LFF) is bursting with a whole host of new films, series and immersive storytelling from around the world. Whether this is your first or 30th visit, our rich and varied programme means there is something for everyone. What’s more, all feature films and series are being shown in the UK for the first (and sometimes the only) time. Imagine who and what you can discover.