Ikiru Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Ikiru
Year: 1952
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese

Though Japanese Director Akira Kurosawa is best known for his samurai epics (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) which were influenced by the West, he was not principally concerned with movies full of blood and gore. He was a quite spiritual man, thus he made quite spiritual modern dramas. Ikiru, translated into English as "To Live", is a testament to the fact that great Kurosawa flicks don't need violence. 

Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) is a longtime bureaucrat in a city office who, along with the rest of the office, spends his entire working life doing nothing. He learns he is dying of cancer and wants to find some meaning in his life.

The pacing of the film is deliberately slow, Ikiru is a tragedy but not because the main character is going to die. Rather it is a tragedy because Watanabe has not lived. His job is to deal with citizen complains, but all he really does is take a small rubber stamp and press it against each one of the documents to show the problem shall be handled. His life is void of meaning, he has done nothing worthwhile. We see many of these people in our own lives, infact we may often feel like Watanabe. 

Much like most people throughout human history, Watanabe has an incredible desire to do something great before he dies. Kurosawa's flick is full of this man's suffering, but that was his point. To achieve anything worthwhile, one must suffer, but suffering does not always have to be negative, it can be used for good. Despite the fact that it's full of sorrow, Ikiru is life affirming and ultimately inspiring. He has a sincere belief that even the smallest of efforts can turn into something great.

In conclusion, Ikiru is a remarkable picture that could potentially change one's life. Shimura is a remarkable actor, who's face tells an enchanting story. Kurosawa puts his emotions on the table, and gives us his most tear-jerking film. Praise it! 5/5