Ikiru

Ikiru is one of the most beautiful, emotional, and real films I have ever seen. With this being the second Kurosawa film I have seen, it is a great contrast to Seven Samurai. It shows how dynamic Kurosawa is at telling stories. Ikiru is so human and raw, the way it explores the life and death of this man is so gripping, I could never look away from the screen. This also could be because of the cinematography, which is so subtlety beautiful. It doesn’t have immense scale, or the most detailed production, but it does have the personal touch of filmmakers who are trying to tell a deep and touching story. It dives deep into the character of Mr. Watanabe. This is also helped greatly by the acting talents of Takashi Shimura. He truly gives one of my favorite performances of all time. His emotions feel so real that I couldn’t help but relate to his struggles. Watanabe is so defined as a character because of the strong choices of Shimura, and the fantastically written script. Every moment of film felt so special. I cried three times, and I don’t even know if I was supposed to every time. The first scene where Mr. Watanabe sings is so touching and just felt right. Everything in the first act was leading to that moment, and it had so much emotion behind it. The call back to it later in the film may be my favorite movie scene, ever. I have never felt more invested in a character, song, or moment as much as a did with that scene. It was perfect, and it encapsulates everything that the film was about. After watching it, I felt so inspired to go and change the world. Just magnificent filmmaking from a master of cinema.