LIVING is a dreadfully slow Oscar-bait movie that follows William (Bill Nighy), a man who isn’t “living” learning to live. After sifting through A MAN CALLED OTTO, THE WHALE, EMPEROR OF LIGHT, and now LIVING, I’m tapped out when it comes to watching movies that are technically well-made but exist merely as a shell for an outstanding lead performance.
LIVING’s message is grade school level simple. “If we put our backs and minds into it, we could do even better.” Yet, that simple message is trapped in a stuffy 1950s British setting. This film should’ve been a thirty-minute short instead of a feature.
There are many worse examples of movies with characters “swinging” back to life, yet I can’t recommend audiences spending any time “living” through this dull Oscar-chasing film.
LIVING is available in theatres.
