Ikiru

Ikiru (1952) Directed by Akira Kurosawa Starring Takashi Shimura, Miki Odagiri, and Yūnosuke Itō. Story: Ikiru follows Kanji Watanabe after being diagnosed with stomach cancer and decides to do something with his life before he dies. The Bad: The funeral scene goes on for a bit too long. I feel as though if they would have shown us the events as they happened, it would make for a better finale. The Good: Where It’s a Wonderful Life is about appreciating life for what it is, then Ikiru is about making the best of life with what you have. Watanabe is a character who worked his entire life for his son who doesn’t even respect him. So, when he find out that he has stomach cancer, he completely changes his way of life and meets people like Toyo and the Novelist. Both of these characters represent a life that Watanabe never had and he strives to have in his last days but instead of leaving his job like what others have suggested, he decides to use his job for the greater good. Watching Shimura in Seven Samurai and in Ikiru is like night and day, and shows how much range he has as an actor. And seeing both of those films shows how much range Kurosawa has as a director. In the end, Ikiru is a beautiful drama about making the best of life with what you have, and I give Ikiru a 9/10.