5 Best Movies to Watch by Adrian Rawlins

Adapted from the Japanese film Ikiru, which in turn was adapted from the Russian story The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Living is a parable about, well, living. Specifically, it's about the importance of wonder and the magic of the mundane. It's also about legacy and the stories we leave in our wake, which live on long after we're gone. This familiar premise could have very easily been turned into another trite and cheesy movie that warns you to make the most out of your life, but thanks to a lean script, assured camerawork, and powerfully restrained performances, Living is elevated into something more special than that. It’s a technically beautiful, well told, and profoundly moving film, with Bill Nighy giving a career-best turn as a repressed man aching for meaning in his twilight years. 

Genre: Drama, History

Actor: Adrian Rawlins, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp, Barney Fishwick, Bill Nighy, Celeste Dodwell, David Summer, Edward Wolstenholme, Eunice Roberts, Ffion Jolly, Grant Gillespie, Hubert Burton, Jamie Wilkes, John MacKay, Jonathan Keeble, Lia Williams, Mark James, Matilda Ziegler, Michael Cochrane, Michael James, Nichola McAuliffe, Nicky Goldie, Oliver Chris, Patsy Ferran, Richard Cunningham, Robin Sebastian, Rosie Sansom, Thomas Coombes, Tom Burke, Zoe Boyle

Director: Oliver Hermanus

As far as heroic biopics go, One Life is fairly standard, if not a bit forgettable. The film’s monotonous pace and less-than-compelling drama don’t quite match the extraordinary real-life feats of the British stockbroker who helped transport hundreds of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Prague into Britain. The beats are familiar, the dialogue even more so. But there is one saving grace here, and that’s Anthony Hopkins, who plays the stockbroker in question, Nicky Winton, with such believable grace. Hopkins effortlessly relays the heavy guilt of his character, and when he finally breaks down by the film’s climax, you can’t help but cry with him. Everything else about the film, including the flashbacks to young Nicky, played by Johnny Flynn, could be stronger, but as it stands, One Life serves as an effective enough reminder to stand up for what’s right and be proud of that act, no matter how seemingly small or singular.

Genre: Drama, Family, History, War

Actor: Adrian Rawlins, Aleš Bílík, Alex Sharp, Angus Kennedy, Anna Darvas, Anthony Hopkins, Antonie Formanová, Barbora Černá, Barbora Vacková, Charles Armstrong, Darren Clarke, Ffion Jolly, Helena Bonham Carter, Janusz Hummel, Jaromíra Mílová, Jiří Šimek, Joe Weintraub, Johnny Flynn, Jonathan Pryce, Jonathan Tafler, Juliana Moska, Justin Svoboda, Lena Olin, Lukáš Král, Marthe Keller, Matilda Thorpe, Michael Gould, Nick Blakeley, Petr Jeništa, Romola Garai, Samantha Spiro, Samuel Finzi, Sean Brodeur, Simon Thorp, Tim Steed, Vilma Frantová, Ziggy Heath

Director: James Hawes

Rating: PG