Ikiru

But what have I been living for all these years? An exemplary display of the burdens of a realized mortality. This slow burn depicting a bureaucrat’s discovery of his stomach cancer and, then, his decisions and course of action that follow is one of, if not, the greatest film that I have ever seen. Akira Kurosawa is an absolute master and may be the greatest director of all time. Now, having not seen much of his work, my knowledge regarding his filmography isn’t great. That being said, I believe this to be his magnum opus and I struggle to see how he could top this. I’ve always really enjoyed films that explore mortality and the questions surrounding life. Some that immediately come to mind are The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, and Mirror, yet, each of those are written in a way where they are thematically and philosophically driven, above all else. Ikiru is much more narratively-driven film, making it quite a different experience than any of the films I mentioned prior, spare maybe The Seventh Seal. The exploration of purpose through this hopeless bureaucrat was unexpectedly effective for a commentary on how one ought to live in the face of their own mortality. The critiques of societal issues, specifically bureaucracy and how that stifles individuality and purpose, are phenomenal and could serve any film just by themselves. Layering both a philosophical commentary on mortality and a sociological commentary on societal issues was a genius decision and serves to make the film even more impactful than it could have been, if it only focused on one of the two. As for the acting, I mean, what can I say about the great Takashi Shimura. Every film I’ve seen him in, he has given a standout performance (spare when he’s grouped with Toshirō Mifune). His conversations with Toyo and the Novelist were some of the best examples of phenomenal dialogue I’ve ever seen. The singing scene was heart-wrenching and was definitely one of the best in the entire film. Shimura’s ability to express any and every emotion through the slightest change in his face or body language is unmatched and I just love watching him play any character. His performance in the film may be his best and, is quite possibly, one of the best performances of all time. The writing is perfection, per usual, and, with that, the dialogue is fantastic. That being said, the scenes with little to no dialogue were my favorites in the film. Kurosawa’s ability to convey emotion just through his cinematography and choice of shot is truly unbelievable. Even if there were no dialogue in the film, I feel as though it would still be a masterpiece. I don’t have much else to say about this film. Kurosawa is a master and a legend. Every work of his that I see I seem to enjoy more than the last. I need to delve deeper into his catalogue because he may be growing to be my favorites director. In short, this is a perfect film, one of the most impactful for me, and, quite possibly, the greatest narrative work in film ever achieved.