In a career defining performance, Bill Nighy (Love Actually) plays Williams, a 1950s London civil servant who struggles to maintain order under mountains of paperwork. Overwhelmed at work and lonely at home, his life takes a heartbreaking turn when a medical diagnosis tells him time is short. Influenced by a local decadent (Tom Burke) and the vibrant Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood), Williams continues to search for meaning until a simple revelation gives him the purpose to create a legacy for the next generation. Adapted by Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day) and based on the classic Akira Kurosawa film Ikiru. Living is “one of the best pictures of the year.” (David Fear, ROLLING STONE).
For in-depth thoughts on Living, please see my colleague Devin McGrath-Conwell’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Living comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation in the original 1.48:1 that is quite fetching. This is a carefully crafted film with many nuanced shots where you can see a stunning amount of detail while others appear more stylistically hazy. There are a multitude of interior sequences featuring period-accurate production design which allow the viewer to witness the depth at play in the image. The film has a natural color palette on display which offers a deep saturation more so than anything radiating off the screen with bright hues. Skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. Highlights are handled beautifully, along with deep blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. There are no egregious signs of any noise or other such digital nuisances. Sony has delivered a quality presentation for the film.
Audio Quality
The film comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original English that is purposefully reserved and well balanced. The score from Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch brilliantly complements the narrative as it permeates the room in a really wonderful way. Activity in the low end is nearly nonexistent, but what is there adds some nice texture to certain moments. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overwhelmed by any of the other sounds. Environmental effects inject the film with a sense of life which this track represents capably. The use of the rear channels to create a three dimensional world works quite well when it comes to transporting you to this time and place. Directionality is quite precise so sounds always present as natural when coming from their respective points. Sony has delivered a flawless track for the film.
Special Features
- A Life Semi-Lived: A nearly five-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the themes of the story, adapting the source material, the aesthetic of the picture, the performances and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: The nearly two-minute trailer is provided here.
- Previews: There are additional trailers provided for Return To Seoul, One Fine Morning, The Son, The Phantom of the Open and Mothering Sunday.
Final Thoughts
Living is a gentle and immensely moving portrait of regret and the hope that it is never too late to truly experience life. The screenplay from Kazuo Ishiguro adapts the classic source material in a way that feels respectful and vital all on its own. The great Bill Nighy delivers one of the finest performances of his career with a turn that is complex and vulnerable underneath its stately exterior. This is an exceptional piece of period piece filmmaking. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation and a small selection of special features. If you are a fan of the original Kurosawa film, you should give this version a shot. Recommended
Living is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.