A movie that made me feel …
I saw a movie called Living last night. On recommendation from a friend.
And I’m really thankful I have had the pleasure of watching it.
I hate rehashing the context and backstory for films — so I’ve borrowed this (below) from Wikipedia (oh the laziness !)
Living is a 2022 British drama film directed by Oliver Hermanus from a screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro, adapted from the 1952 Japanese film Ikiru directed by Akira Kurosawa, which in turn was inspired by the 1886 Russian novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy.
The film is set in the 1950s in London, and is a story centred around the life of the main character played by Bill Nighy. He is a man in the later stages of his life — living a day-to-day existence that many of us can relate to. Days filled with the familiarity of the known, the same, and ultimately a greyness. Until he gets some news from his doctor that changes things. And the remainder of the film goes on to explore his journey of rediscovering life in all it’s glory and joy. It’s a pretty simple premise for a story — and one we are all familiar with.
So now with all that out the way — let me share my thoughts on what this film helped make me feel.
The movie made me feel truly sad, and I cried more than once.
Tears for him, and for parts of myself too.
Tears I was grateful to feel rolling down my cheeks.
Tears for the many many many of us all living a similar life for so long — with the same deep deep desire to connect and embrace and feel the warmth of life and humanity around us.
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The movie made me feel hopeful.
Hopeful for seeing the simple possibilities that exist in the everyday for all of us to see and hold on — to — tight.
The movie made me feel joy.
Joy for when humanity blossoms and shines so bright that others simply can’t ignore.
And so it was — that I walked out of the movie theatre with all of these feelings and perhaps a few more.
Into the cold night.
The streets were wet with recent rain.
The light was sparkling off the surface and running headlong along the tram tracks and overhead wires.
There was the warm glow of late street lights and a comforting silence of near midnight.
Big love my friends.
Hug those nearest tight.
Share a smile.
Stop and say hello.
Connect.
Let’s all love and live this life we share, and overflow it with feelings that remind us we are truly living.
