This remake of Kurosawa's 1952 Ikiru had to be set in a fictonalized, historical post-war London because at its core, more so than a timeless and contemplative exploration of finding meaning in one's live, I find this story to be one of hope and the power of ordinary people to change society for the better--even when bureaucracy and middle-management labor might reduce one's own personhood.
Given the oppressive fatalism that so prominently marks the 2020s, the particular optimism this type of film exudes is just not something I can envision in a more contemporary setting, lest it be entirely the work of fantasy.