Ikiru (1956)

 Ikiru (1956)

Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru is an emotional, moving portrait of what it is like to live life. This film really makes you ponder about your life. It asks simple, but important questions such, “What are you doing with your life?” Honestly, this film made me contemplate my own life and made some important changes. You only live once, so let’s live the best life you can. Based on reviews I have seen from all different ages, this film truly resonated with everyone. Even though Kurosawa constantly mentions death or cancer, this movie never truly felt depressing. I felt happy for the main character because he was finding the will to live despite the diagnosis of terminal cancer. The film is a robust two-and-a-half hours, but you never feel the time passing by thanks to Kurosawa’s steady direction, strong visuals and camerawork, and a humane story that invests your mind. Also, Takashi Shimura’s performance spoke to me on many levels.

Believe it or not, this is the first time I was able to sit through a Kurosawa film. I immediately grasped the idea why he is one of the best directors of all time. He takes these moving images and uses them to create humane stories about life. Everyone knows about The Seven Samurai, which came out several years later, but everyone says this is his most intimate film. I can certainly imagine why. This film was released in Japan in 1952. The United States barely got a chance to see the film in 1956, and it finally was released internationally in 1960. The excuse was that “it’s too Japan.” I was very surprised by that statement because these themes are universal, and they still resonate to me.

The literal translation of Ikiru is “to live”. Our main character, after his cancer diagnosis, tries to find a reason through alcohol and women, but still does not get moved. It comes down to his job and doing the right thing for people which finally gives him that spark. Kurosawa made some bold statements about modern Japanese bureaucracy as seen in the opening scenes. Huge piles of paperwork, the dictation of a rubber stamp, sending people to pointless stations to “solve” mundane issues. Kanji Watanabe (the main character) is not living life. He is going through the notion’s day after day. As the film itself says, he is already half-dead.

Kanji Watanable (Takashi Shimura) is a Tokyo bureaucrat who has been in his position for over thirty years. He does nothing but work, sleep, and eat, hardly the definition of living. In a harsh scene, he is diagnosed with gastric cancer and is given a death sentence. He does not tell his family about his situation, but rather spends the night in town with a novelist. When that does not satisfy him, he strikes up a friendship with a young woman from his office. Ultimately, it is through his job that allows him to make a difference-building a public park. After his death and during the funeral, his peers and family try to solve the mystery of his death.

Takashi Shimura gave a heartfelt performance that will always stick with me. I never knew about any of his roles, but that will change. He apparently worked with Kurosawa eleven times. When he sings “Gondola no Uta”, I am moved to tears. He sang once at a bar which silenced the entire crowd and once later on in a very pivotal scene. His final scenes really struck me. He did everything well; reacting to his diagnosis, fighting his son over money, etc. Each scene is of importance and Shimura gave it all he got.

Overall, Ikiru is a movie that any cinephile should seek out. It is a movie that makes you think about your own life. One day, you’ll grow old and look back on your life and ask yourself, “Did I live a good, meaningful life?” This movie proved how graceful Kurosawa is as a director. He really knows how to create a story about life and not turn it into some soapy melodrama. Whether it’s 1956 or 2021, these themes resonate with any society in my humble opinion. While this may not be a flashy movie like The Seven Samurai, this is still worth seeing especially if you are ready to have some feels.

My Grade: A