The film Life revolves around Mr. Williams, played by British actor Bill Nighy, who goes to work at City Hall every day in 1953 London. He spends his days there, until he is told he doesn’t have long to live. That message does something to him. The lonely widower decides to “live” again.
Faithful – four stars
“In Life British actor Bill Nighy (73) gives a glorious performance as a man who passes through existence as the undead. He’s a remarkably subtle role that could very well be eligible for an Oscar. Nighy portrays the old office clerk as someone who still wants to make sense of his empty life.”
Gradually a beautiful and melancholy story emerges about the rebirth of a man who had given up so long ago. Talented South African director Oliver Hermanus, known for such gems as Beauty in Moffy, knows how to preserve the small gesture. It films Williams’ Werdegang in an intimate, almost square shot through which all the nuances of the acting are seen.”
NRC – four stars
Bill Nighy plays the part of his life Lifea solid rock remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Ikiru. 1952 Japan is replaced by 1953 England. Not as big a step as it sounds. After all, both societies have a lot in common: the hiding of feelings behind a mask of kindness and courtesy, a highly hierarchical class society, formal manners, respect for authority and a strong tendency towards conformity.”
“Done very well Life, which looks like a 1950s British film, takes its melancholy ending and subsequent coda almost directly from Kurosawa’s original. This epilogue, told more efficiently than in To breathe, gives the optimism of the finale a considerable margin of shadow. Changing the status quo is not that easy.”
de Volkskrant – four stars
“The thoughtful and warm-blooded drama Life it’s a perfect film for the gray winter months. Just like the original Life touching without being too sentimental. In a sense it was Ikiru Frank Capra’s Japanese counterpart It’s a wonderful life (1946) – also a film about the question of what it means to live and how to do it right. Kurosawa was slightly less sweet than Capra and added a touch of cynicism. Which stays inside Lifewhich, in addition to being compelling, is often witty and occasionally bitter.”
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