One of my favorite films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was director Oliver Hermanus’ Living. Based on the Akira Kurosawa film Ikiru, the reimagined version was written by Nobel Prize and Booker Prize winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro and produced by Stephen Woolley. Like Ikiru, Living focuses on a veteran civil servant (Bill Nighy) who’s been doing the same job for decades and has been living on autopilot for many years. But when he’s given a terminal medical diagnosis, he decides, after watching and becoming friends with a young woman (Aimee Lou Wood) who once worked under his supervision, to turn the page on his lonely and empty existence and work towards creating something for the next generation. Led by Nighy’s tremendous performance, and exceptional direction by Hermanus, I can’t recommend the film enough. Living also stars Alex Sharp and Tom Burke.

Shortly after seeing the film, I had the chance to speak with Aimee Lou Wood and director Oliver Hermanus. During the fun conversation, they talked about why they loved Kazuo Ishiguro’s script, what people would be surprised to learn about the making of Living, why Hermanus started the movie with vintage footage of London, getting to shoot at County Hall in London, and more. In addition, they each talked about when they realized they wanted to act and direct, and the first thing someone should watch if they’ve never seen their work before.

Finally, Sony Pictures Classics recently announced that they have acquired the rights to Living in North America, so I'd imagine they will release the film later this year in award season. In the press release they said:

"From the dazzling screenplay by Ishiguro, to the visual storytelling by Oliver Hermanus, to the spectacular performances led by Bill Nighy, to the evocative score and the perfection of the movie‘s design and costumes, Living is that overwhelming, emotional movie audiences are hungering for in their return to theaters. We are thrilled to embark on this adventure with these artists and our producer friends Stephen Woolley, Liz Karlsen, Daniel Battsek, and Rocket Science."

Watch what Bill Nighy had to say in the player above, and below is exactly what we talked about.

Aimee Lou Wood and Oliver Hermanus
If someone has never seen anything they’ve done, what us the first thing they should watch and why?
Aimee talks about when she realized she wanted to be an actor and Oliver talks about when he knew he wanted to direct.
How have they been describing Living?
Hermanus talks about was it like working with Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood.
How did they decide to start the movie with vintage footage of London from the ‘50s?
What was their reaction reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s script for the first time?
Hermanus on being nervous to give Ishiguro notes on his script.
What would surprise people to learn about the making of Living?
How they shot at County Hall in London.

#Living #AimeeLouWood #OliverHermanus

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