Ikiru Review: Kurosawa's Quiet Meditation on Living
9/10 — Ikiru (1952)
Pros
- Takashi Shimura's moving lead
- Inventive structure
- Unforgettable swing scene
Cons
- Talky second half
- Slow pace
Kanji Watanabe, a stuck-in-a-rut civil servant, learns he has terminal cancer and sets out to do something meaningful with his remaining months. Akira Kurosawa’s film is a world away from his samurai epics.
What works
Takashi Shimura is heart-rending, and the film’s structure, jumping forward to Watanabe’s funeral to see how others remember him, is inventive. The scene of him singing on a swing is unforgettable.
Where it falters
The second half’s wake scene is talky, and the film’s pace is slow.
Verdict
A deeply moving film that asks what it means to live well.
