Ikiru
*“we only realize how beautiful life when we face death. and even then, few of us realize it. the worst among us know nothing of life until they die.”
*
this movie isn’t nearly about death, but to ask question, “when did you truly feel alive?” it’s quiet and melancholic, and watching him feels uncomfortably close to how people live nowadays. in this fast-busy world where a lonely man keeps working like a mummy, he’s so focused on his job that he forgets to enjoy live. it’s like seeing your body give signs of tiredness before your mind does, but you keep pushing forward. and the worst part, nobody even notices him and it feels like he’s never really done anything. the dialogue is so raw and real that it makes mr.watanabe’s wound felt so vivid, and the way he shows his pain through desperate-sad expressions just makes it even more so.
“i don't know what I've been doing with my life all these years.”
this movie also made me think about my parents. i realized i’ve never really seen life through their eyes. we often too selfish, thinking they haven’t done enough for us, but we forget how much they sacrificed. however, mr. watanabe also too focused on work that he loses touch with his son, their relationship had grown distant over the years, only sharing little things that creates this quite gap that never closed. and by the end, all he wants is some warmth and company but he can’t even get from his own family. it’s too late…and tragic to say he loves his family so much he didn’t even get to love his own life.
for me, this movie is about to live, to find the will, to make meaning about your own life when you can’t find it all this time. it’s not about how long we live, but how alive we are when we’re doing it. it’s really about him wanting to make a difference before he runs out of time, because it’s never too late to start.