Akira Kurosawa Tackles The Meaning of Life

I’ve been digging into Akira Kurosawa’s movies a little lately, and this time it’s the turn of Ikiru. Although it was released in 1952, in between such big hits as Rashômon and Seven Samurai, Ikiru itself was not an instant international hit. In fact it didn’t even get an international release until 1960. It has made a name for itself over the years however, appearing in many critics and polls top movie lists and averaging an impressive 8.1 on IMDB.

Ikiru translates as “to live” and it’s something of an existential and philosophical movie. Our protagonist (as he’s frequently referred to in the narrative) Watanabe learns that he has cancer and will only live for about another 6 to 12 months. His wife died many years ago, and he’s left to reflect on the life he dedicated to his now fully grown and married son. Chief among Watanabe’s regrets is the 30 years he has wasted at the bureaucratic desk job at City Hall. Surrounded by pending files, his main purpose is to pass on or deny claims. It’s a life of meaningless underachievement. Having never really lived, Watanabe asks a stranger to show him around the city’s nightlife, and then finds companionship in a young and energetic female office colleague.

Ikiru is certainly a reflective and harrowing tale. We know from the beginning that our character is doomed, but it’s Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura that really captures his emotion. Some four years later Shimura played the lead in Seven Samurai with a heartfelt warmth and charisma. In Ikiru he looks much older, as a weak lifeless man in his final years. Watanabe’s countenance is a striking and memorable one. There’s a vivid sadness in his eyes, a drop in his lower lip and a fragility in his soft broken voice that make you just want to weep for the hopeless fate of this character.

Kurosawa works some real magic here as he paints a surrounding environment that’s bleak and noisy. There are shots of Watanabe walking through the streets that gave me the same nausea as watching Ray Milland in his final debauch of Lost Weekend. Several scenes really hit you hard. In one Watanabe disappears beneath his sheets to cry himself to sleep, while the camera focuses on a certificate in his room for the achievement of 25 years of service. Perhaps the most memorable however is during the night on the town where Watanabe requests a piano player to play “Gondola no Ulta,” a song about the brevity of life and urging maidens to find love while they still have their youth and looks. The whole bar falls silent and pensive as Watanabe quietly mutters the words to the song.

Eventually Watanabe finds his purpose. In one final act he manages to fight through the barriers of bureaucracy and help a group of campaigning mothers build a local playground. It’s a story that’s told out of sequence. The first part of the movie runs in a fairly linear fashion, dealing with Watanabe’s inner depression until he finds his meaningful act. At this point the storyline is told through differing accounts and flashbacks at Watanabe’s wake. An over imbibed group speculate over Watanabe’s change in focus and whether he actually knew that he was going to die. It’s a significant change as the storytelling switches to an outsider’s observation. It’s a tough act, because among the gossip, only we the viewers know the real answer.  Much has been said about the quality and impact of this final act. But while the dialogue is poignant and thoughtful, for me it was the moment that the movie seemed to lose a little pace and started to drag.

Overall Ikiru is another outstanding achievement for Akira Kurosawa. It’s an impressive screenplay that rivals the critical acclaim of Rashômon. He raises a highly philosophical question and captures the full extent of our protagonist’s emotional turmoil. It’s excellent directing as his pacing, staging and the environment all serve to create a truly vivid experience. It’s a fantastic performance by Shimura too, one of the most impressive and heartbreaking I’ve seen. My only complaint was the final segment which was an intelligent vehicle but just dragged a little.

Verdict: 4 Stars Highly Recommended