Movie #126: Ikiru

Movie #: 126
Movie Title: Ikiru
Year Released: 1952

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Notable Cast: Takashi Shimura, Miki Odagiri, Yūnosuke Itō, Nobuo Kaneko, Kamatari Fujiwara

Short Description: A bureaucrat tries to find a meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: #32



Date Watched: 5/15/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)

Rationale: Kanji Watanabe learns he doesn't have long to live and is without friends and love from his family because of 30 years long behind a desk. After a bout of self pity he attempts to live the life he missed out on, while not telling anyone about his cancer, by temporarily going AWOL from work, spending time with a young female co-worker that brings him joy and energy, and by making it his mission to build a needed park for his community, even though the government he works for constantly tries to shoot it down. After his death, a group of co-workers sit around and discuss how great of a man Watanabe was to put in the effort he did while dying. They themselves vow to change and make an impact like Watanabe, only to revert back to their old ways the first time opportunity arises. In short, Ikiru felt very human and I dug that. We all have regrets about missed opportunities and we all say we'll change for the better. The trick is to not give up and make a difference like Watanabe.