LIVING
Genre
Drama
Running time
102 minutes
Year
2022
Language
English
Subtitle
Arabic
Country
United Kingdom and South Africa
Director
Oliver Hermanus
Bio
Producer
Stephen Woolley, Elizabeth Karlsen
Cast
Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp, Tom Burke
Scriptwriter
Kazuo Ishiguro
Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro relocates Akira Kurosawa's 1952 masterpiece Ikiru to London, where Mr Williams (Bill Nighy, magnificently understated but bristling) is a management functionary in the council's planning office. For 30 years, he has ensured that there is no antagonism and no voices raised in his office, sliding anything that requires action – such as a mothers' petition for a playground - to the bottom of his in-tray. Only when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer does it hits him how much of his life he has squandered. He tries debauchery in the company of a louche writer (Tom Burke), inhales some optimism from a pretty young co-worker, Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood), and then resolves to do something worthwhile: get that playground built. It isn't a decisive victory – the office continues to be moribund without him – but there's plenty of hope in Mr Williams's revival.
Other movies
GIRL
Director: Shu Qi
Superstar Shu Qi, icon of Asian cinema and muse of Hou Hsiao-hsien, makes her directorial debut with this self-penned, deeply personal coming-of-age drama. In a cramped home ruled by abuse, young teenager Lin Xiaoli keeps her head down, caring for her little sister while her father’s drunken rages cascade into her mother’s cruelty. Everything shifts when she befriends Li Lili, a rebellious classmate who skips class, smokes and urges Xiaoli to challenge the family’s toxic status quo. As escape glimmers, Shu Qi films with poised restraint, observing at a remove and tuning the viewer to intimate, everyday textures with a quietly harrowing strength. Tender yet unsentimental, Girl finds fragile beauty amid hurt and announces a formidable new directorial voice.
YUNAN
Director: Ameer Fakher Eldin
Haunted by a cryptic family parable, Munir (Georges Khabbaz) flees to a remote island to contemplate a drastic decision. Here he encounters the enigmatic Valeska and her rough, loyal son, Karl. With few words exchanged and quiet acts of kindness, suspicion dissolves, easing Munir’s burden and reigniting his desire to live. Much like the prophet Jonah, who was spit out by the sea and then returned to land, Munir finds himself a stranger in the world, struggling with alienation and aborted dreams. As his mother's memory fades, he also struggles to recall a story about a cursed shepherd his mother told him. A captivating visual fable, the film immerses us in Munir's consuming frustration. "This film contains scenes that may be considered sensitive for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised"
IRKALLA: GILGAMESH'S DREAM
Director: Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji
Nine-year-old dreamer Chum-Chum and Moody, a tough 13-year-old, navigate the harsh streets of Baghdad. Moody is obsessed with escaping to the Netherlands with Chum-Chum and his sister, Sara. Things changes when they meet Maryam, a fiery woman who has converted an old double-decker bus into a mobile school for street kids. After Maryam shows Chum-Chum an animation about the mythical hero Gilgamesh’s journey to the underworld, a new obsession takes hold. But Chum-Chum’s dream collides with a dark secret: Moody’s alliance with a ruthless militia leader and his plot to bomb protestors. Chum-Chum must now confront a brutal reality. Can one child's mythical quest save his friend, or will Moody’s dark path consume them both?