I Can't Afford to Hate People, I Don't Have That Kind of Time

While Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa is predominantly known for his samurai films or films that involved samurai in old Japan. The director often adds more elements of drama to the film to renew the idea of samurai. Part of those elements have inspired by not just the work of genres like American westerns and Shakespearean tragedy, he also delves into the works of other literary greats like Dostoevsky where in 1951, he adapted his book The Idiot into a film. A year later, Kurosawa turned to another Russian literary figure in Leo Tolstoy whose book The Death of Ivan Ilynch would be the inspiration for his 1952 film entitled Ikiru.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa with a script he co-wrote with Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni. Ikiru tells the story of a middle-aged bureaucrat whose life has become lonely while dealing with the fact that he will die from stomach cancer. Deciding to try and live his life to the fullest, the old man tries to find meaning while dealing with regrets and such. One of Kurosawa's more modern-day films that he often revisits, it's a study of life and death. Starring Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura. Ikiru is a poignant, inspiring drama from Akira Kurosawa.

Throughout his entire life, Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) is a man who has never done much in his life. For 30 years, the worked as the section chief of public affairs for his bureaucratic government. Living with his son Mitsuo (Nobuo Kaneko) and daughter-in-law Kazue (Kyoko Seki) in the old, Japanese-style home, Kanji has always lived in a life where nothing changes. Then after feeling sick from pains in his stomach, for the first time in 30 years, he skips work to go for a doctor's appointment. Following a conversation with another patient about his stomach problem, he received a warning about what the doctor might say. Though the doctor told him he's got a mild ulcer, the reality is he is suffering from stomach cancer and has six months to a year to live.

Shocked by the news that he might die within a year, Watanabe is in a state of shock as he accidentally overhears Mitsuo and Kazue discussing about wanting out of Watanabe's house and get a modern one for 500,000 yen. Watanabe is forced to recall memories of when he and Mitsuo had a great life following the death of his wife where he had sacrificed his own happiness for his own son.

Realizing that he's got little to show for, Watanabe sadly recalls everything as his own son is neglecting him. Depressed over his impending death, life at the section office he's worked in has become chaos as a group of women are complaining over a mosquito-infested cesspool that's threatened their community due to sewage. Watanabe doesn't return to his office where he realized he had money in his pocket and has no idea what to do.

Going to a bar, Watanabe meets a novelist (Yunosuke Ito) who sympathizes with his issues as he admits to his own lack of accomplishments as the two go on a night on the town. Getting a new hat, watching a striptease, playing machines, and listening to an old song Watanabe knew, he was getting a chance to do something but wasn't satisfying. Tired from the night before, he walks home to meet with one of his former employees in Toyo (Miki Odagiri), a young woman who had just quit her job at the section office.

She asks him if he could sign her paper of resignation to begin a new job. He brings her home where Mitsuo and Kazue are baffled by this young woman he brought into his room. Watanabe and Toyo decide to spend the day with each other having fun as her free-spirit gives him some happiness while realizing that he had wasted his life for his own son who doesn't seem to appreciate him. When Watanabe was to tell his son about his illness, Mitsuo scolds him for his recent spending as Watanabe seeks comfort in Toyo.

Though Toyo admits to be tired of being around him, he finally confesses to her about his impending death as he eventually realizes that he still has a chance to do something by turning his attention to the cesspool by turning it into a park. For the remainder of his life, he dedicates himself to the project till his death. Following the completion and Watanabe’s death, many of his colleagues and family ponder his recent behavior in his remaining days.

While death was a subject Kurosawa has often tackled, for the film's theme of Ikiru which means in Japanese, "to live". It's a film that is a mix of both optimism and cynicism. The film is about a man that is trying to deal with his impending death and eventually, finds redemption, inspiration, and fulfillment. That what goes on throughout the film's first two acts for about 100 minutes. While through Kurosawa's meditative, observant direction, it lags a bit with its pacing. Kurosawa's attention to this man and his journey becomes fascinating while recalling the events of his life that involved his already ungrateful, self-centered son. With Watanabe dealing with loneliness, he tries to find new life in both a second-rate novelist and a free-spirited young woman. He finds both its flaws and its beauty realizing that there is still time to do something.

Those 100 minutes that included opening narration definitely let the audience get into the mind and heart of Watanabe. Then, the film suddenly shifts for the next forty where suddenly, it changes. This is where the third act begins and it starts to feel like a different film. It involves Watanabe's wake and how his colleagues, family, and politicians deal with his final months. Watanabe appears in flashbacks as colleagues try to figure out why the sudden change and it becomes a mix of both cynicism and hope.

The cynical part involves politicians including a deputy mayor wanting to put a political spin on Watanabe's contribution while his colleagues drunkenly deal with his motivations. While the shift might be abrupt, it works to convey the message that Kurosawa is trying to say. Even through his stylish yet meditative editing that included his trademark side-wipe cuts. The result, though not perfect, is a solid film from the Japanese master.

Longtime cinematographer Asakazu Nakai brings some stirring images to the black-and-white photography that includes some wonderful shading shots of Shimura in his despair as well as wonderful close-ups and grayish colors to convey one of the film's bleakest sequences. Nakai's photography is exquisite, notably for one of the film's final scene where a tracking shot unveils the final moments of Watanabe's life. Production designer So Matsuyama does great work in creating the crowded look of Watanabe's office that is filled with loads and loads of paperwork as well as the traditional, Japanese home that he lived in that is done better in the third act.

Sound recordist Fumio Yanoguchi does some fantastic work in capturing the world of modern Japan during the scene of Watanabe going out with the novelist to unveil Japan in its post-war era. Music composer Fumio Hayasaka creates a very melodic, melancholic score to convey the sadness and redemption of Watanabe with flowing arrangements and notes that is very dream-like with the soundtrack including a song sung by Shimura himself.

The film's cast is brilliant with performances from Minosuke Yamada, Kamatari Fujiwara, and Toranosuke Ogawa as Watanabe's colleagues while Nobuo Nakamura is great as the slimy deputy mayor who had hoped to gain credit for Watanabe's work. Makoto Kobori is good as Watanabe's brother and Kumeko Urabe as Watanabe's sister-in-law who had hoped he would find a new woman in his life. Masao Shimizu is excellent as the doctor who tells Watanabe of his fate while reveling in the cynicism of the man's fate. Yunosuke Ito is great as the novelist who takes Watanabe on a night on the town sympathetic to his fate and failures.

Kyoko Seki is good as Mitsuo's wife who shares her husband's desire for a new home but is amazed by his attitude towards his father. Nobuo Kaneko is great as Mitsuo, the self-centered, selfish son who is unaware of his father's illness until the end as he is forced to face himself. Miki Odagiri is great as the spirited Toyo, the young woman who befriends Watanabe as she points him into the direction his life is supposed to lead while dealing with her own issues as a young woman.

Takashi Shimura, one of Kurosawa's regular actors appearing in many of his films, gives one of his most touching and powerful performances. Shimura's subtle, restrained performance as a man facing death shows that it doesn't have to be dramatized. One of Shimura's most notable features is his eyes. The eyes are a big part of the story to convey his sadness and regrets as he starts off very slow and sad only to find some happiness as he smiles and laughs. Shimura's performance is just powerful right to the end of the film as he is truly one of the most overlooked actors in cinema in comparison another Kurosawa regular, Toshiro Mifune.

While Ikiru isn't a masterpiece nor does it rank with the many masterpieces of Akira Kurosawa's film work. The film is still a poignant, inspirational drama from the Japanese auteur that features a brilliant performance from Takashi Shimura. Those seeking out Kurosawa's work away from his usual, samurai features will find something fulfilling in Ikiru. The film is also a worthy introduction for those wanting to explore Kurosawa's take on modern Japan and drama. In the end, for a film that shows both life's cynicism and optimism through the mind of a dying old man, Ikiru is the film to see.

Akira Kurosawa Reviews:

Rashomon (1950):

http://www.epinions.com/content_407108882052

The Seven Samurai (1954):

http://www.epinions.com/content_408014655108

Throne of Blood (1957):

http://www.epinions.com/content_408499228292

The Hidden Fortress (1958):

http://www.epinions.com/content_451715567236

The Bad Sleep Well (1960):

http://www.epinions.com/content_452052291204

Yojimbo (1961):

http://www.epinions.com/content_409156357764

Sanjuro (1962):

http://www.epinions.com/content_410131467908

High & Low (1963):

http://www.epinions.com/content_447766892164

Red Beard (1965):

(Coming Soon)

Dersu Uzala (1975):

(Coming Soon)

Kagemusha (1980):

http://www.epinions.com/content_410895486596

Ran (1985):

http://www.epinions.com/content_412004683396