Bill Nighy's "unmissable" British drama with Aimee Lou Wood is now streaming for free

Living, the "unmissable" British drama starring Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood, is now streaming for free in the UK. Released in 2022 and directed by Oliver Hermanus, the film follows Nighy as a civil servant in the County Council's Public Works Department who learns he has a terminal illness.

Also starring Alex Sharp and Tom Burke, Living is penned by author Kazuo Ishiguro and is based on Akira Kurosawa’s acclaimed 1952 Japanese film Ikiru.

The logline reads: "Living is the story of an ordinary man, reduced by years of oppressive office routine to a shadow existence, who at the eleventh hour makes a supreme effort to turn his dull life into something wonderful."

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Living is now available to stream for free with ads in the UK, having been added to Channel 4's streaming service.

Popular with critics, the film has an approval rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 222 reviews, with critics praising Nighy's performance.

Rolling Stone said Living was "vital and unmissable", while Time Out said: "Nighy has never been better than in this richly rewarding '50s-set drama about a repressed and terminally ill man who discovers life just as it comes to an end."

"A sturdy and thoughtful drama, anchored by a moving lead performance from Bill Nighy and elevated by a handsome sense of style," wrote The Hollywood Reporter.

Vox said of the film: "Living -- which looks like it was made in the 1950s, all film grain and vibrance -- is an immensely moving memento mori, anchored by Nighy’s breathtaking performance, and a call to live a life with purpose."

"It’s a great minimalist performance by Nighy, making the smallest escape of emotion significant -- and it works because you know just how quirky and scene-stealing Nighy can be when not thus repressed," penned The New Statesman.

The film is also one of Nighy's highest-rated on Rotten Tomatoes, coming in third place on the list behind Antonia and Jane (100%), and The Wild Robot (97%).

Living is available on Channel 4's streaming service.

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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy. 

A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre. 

In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.