Ikiru

The plot is a very familiar one of a dying man trying to get everything he can out of life before it’s over. But it’s done in a much more significant and philosophical way, in which he tries many different approaches and settles on just helping people, not doing something massive, just living. The characters are absolutely fantastic and so relatable. Their approach to their jobs is how many approach their lives, not trying to make a scene, abandoning morals and their own happiness for stability, these timeless ideas are presented beautifully through the characters. Kanji of course is the most meaningful, he has wasted his life and bears a fair amount of resentment to himself and his family. He condemns himself for wasting his precious life and Mitsuo, his son, for not appreciating everything he did for him. In his mind, he wastes his life working for Mitsuo. He bears these ideas until he meets Toyo, an innocent, youthful girl who doesn’t have much resentment and truly wants to live a life she enjoys. Kanji’s development in what he wants to do with his time left is astounding, it’s so cleverly done and tackles major issues in society, money or happiness, charity or self-preservation, whether children must be entirely grateful for their parent’s sacrifices, all his realizations help him become a better person, even if it’s only for a few months. The pacing is also perfect, it does such a great job of giving time to soak in the emotion and heaviness of the story. It’s like the film is taking deep breaths, short breaks just to process and reflect on the events of the movie and your own life. It’s truly masterfully done. I think the world building is spot on as well, it does a beautiful job portraying civil service. The characters and happenings of the story by far do the best at this, showing their ‘every man for themselves” mentality and how they are gradually worn into just accepting things at face value. But the setting is also very important, the building and the immense papers emphasize the lack of concern for people and more for mindless busywork. The themes are easily the best part of the movie and are truly spectacular. It has a very unique and beautiful philosophy to life, you don’t need to do massive things and achieve great things, to live is enough. You can find happiness and peace in everyday kindnesses and that will look different for different people. Expectations of grandeur are unrealistic and just simple moments of joy and feeling worthy of praise can give a close result. It also discusses human nature prominently, Kanji only realizes how much time he’s wasted and the importance of life after he was aware of its ending. He feels a so relatable hopelessness and dread, he is powerless against his fate and past, forced into the future. But Kanji really is a rare case and even those who confront his death, like everyone at the funeral, promise to live life the right way and work for the people and change their ways, but lose that vigor almost immediately. It’s so true to human nature and a clever dig at the audience, we may see that life is so much more that preserving your own position, but will we even do a thing about it? The cinematography was gorgeous per usual. The shots fit the narrative completely, building emotional attachment to characters and gauging their reaction. Also, Kurosawa loves to compare people’s feelings to others around them, and this manifested in the scene with Toyo and Kanji meeting for the last time. It was truly amazing. I think this movie was the most I’ve ever cried in a film. It’s so personal and just builds empathy masterfully, connecting you to Kanji through your kanji, excuse the pun. The relatability of his character helps you understand his feelings and share them, it grips your heart and doesn’t let go, for better or for worse. I think, while this movie isn’t incredibly unique plot-wise, the amount of feeling and the perfection of the pacing and themes are just so impactful the change the entire score. The ideas presented are some I haven’t seen in any other film, and if I have seen similar, it’s from ones made much after this. The dialogue is also very well-done. I think it does seem a bit showy, but it goes well with the overwhelming feelings and depth of the movie. I don’t think it feels very off, but I could have enjoyed lines that seemed more human and simplistic, like they hadn’t spent a long while thinking of them. Overall, watching this movie is like a treat for me. It gives me a fresh perspective on life and is the perfect reset button for me. Every time I watch it, I pick up something new, I never noticed the rabbit in Kanji’s box from the office, and it’s such a beautiful addition.  Plot - 8 Characters - 10 Pacing - 10 Worldbuilding - 10 Themes - 10 Animation or Cinematography - 10 Emotional Impact - 10 Uniqueness - 10 Dialogue - 9 Overall Enjoyment - 10 Total: 97%