Inspiring British drama reflects on meaning of life.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Characters are seen smoking at work, in bars, in restaurants. Characters drink, too; in one sequence two characters get very drunk. A character gives another some sleeping pills after they complain they can't sleep.
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The notion of death runs throughout, though there's no violence of note. A character produces a number of jars of sleeping pills, suggestion being that they were considering taking their own life. A character is diagnosed with a terminal illness. A bloody tissue; coughing up blood. A funeral takes place; passing reference to a dead spouse.
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Characters visit a nightclub that features a belly dancer who removes their bikini top to the applauding audience -- no nudity as it's shot from behind. As characters walk through an alleyway, a couple are briefly seen kissing.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Two characters go out for an expensive lunch. Mention of life savings, half of which is briefly shown.
Positive Messages
a lot
Make the most of your life, ensuring your days are full of purpose. It's never too late to change for the better. Helping others is something to be proud of. Perseverance is often required to achieve worthwhile accomplishments.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Mr. Williams is initially a reserved man who does little more than work and travel to and from his office. But when he is told he has less than a year to live, he finds solace and inspiration in his friendship with Margaret. She unwittingly encourages him to live the remainder of his life to its fullest.
Diverse Representations
a little
Central character Mr. Williams is an aging White male dying of cancer. Very minor ethnic diversity in supporting roles. Lead female character, Margaret, is fully rounded and serves a profound purpose on both Williams and subsequently on the narrative. Given the setting -- 1950s England -- the workplace is male dominated. But many women stick up for themselves and refuse to be ignored.
Parents need to know that Living is a tender British drama that's about a man with a terminal illness but remains wholly uplifting in its own, subtle way. When Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy) is told he has less than a year to live, he begins to look back on his life and consider what he can do in the time he has left. As he reflects on and regrets letting life pass him by, Williams develops an unlikely friendship with his younger ex-colleague Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood), who inspires him to seize the day. Set in 1950s England, Williams' office is largely male dominated, and characters are seen smoking at work and at pubs. There is also drinking, mostly in moderation, although in one scene, two men get very drunk. There is a non-explicit conversation where a character suggests they considered ending their own life by taking sleeping pills. A funeral takes place, and there is a brief reference to a dead spouse, but there is no violence or strong language to speak of. The film is a remake of acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Lovely film about a man making a lasting difference. Lovely poetry to the writing.
What's the Story?
LIVINGis the story of Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy), a man who has become trapped in the monotonous clockwork of everyday life, lacking inspiration in a postwar world. When he discovers he is terminally ill, he confronts his past and seeks to salvage what he has left of his future. He befriends his ex-colleague Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood), and her youthful vibrancy and zest for life rubs off on him. He realizes that before he dies, he wants to do something meaningful, something he can be remembered for.
This moving British drama is standing on the shoulders of cinematic royalty, as an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa's critically acclaimed Ikiru. Thankfully Living more than holds its own. Put together in the most beautiful way by South African filmmaker Oliver Hermanus, the director captures the clockwork synchrony of everyday life, and yet does so with such passion. The lighting, the tonality -- it's truly sumptuous cinema, and manages to be so beautiful despite the mundaneness it depicts. But then that's the point and the takeaway message: that we should all try to find the beauty in the monotony of our lives, as our hero, Nighy's Mr. Williams, tries to do as he approaches the end of his life.
What transpires is a tender film, a warm production that manages to stay on the right side of sentimentality throughout. What helps is the absorbing central performance from Nighy. In what's arguably a career-best performance from him, he's matched at every turn by the charming Wood as Margaret, Williams' ex-colleague and the film's inspiration.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Living had to say about life. What lessons did Mr. Williams learn? What did he do with these lessons? What did you take away from the film? How to talk to kids about difficult subjects.
Discuss the character of Margaret. How did she inspire Mr. Williams? Would you describe her as a positive role model? What makes a good role model?
How were drinking and smoking depicted in the film? Were they glamorized? How has our behavior when it comes to drinking and smoking changed from when the movie was set?
Living is an English-language remake of a Japanese film. What other remakes have you seen? How did they compare?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Stefan Pape
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