Friday, 7 March 2014

To live and die in Japan

Ikiru (1952)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa this film stars Takashi Shimura, Miki Odagiri and Yunosuke Ito. A local government bureaucrat discovers he has stomach cancer and only six months left to live.

The plot of this film is a meditation on mortality, loneliness and failure to understand those around us. You could easily see Frank Capra's films being an inspiration behind this film even if it is slightly darker than you would typically get from Capra. In the lead role Shimura gives an excellent performance as the dying man struggles to find meaning in his empty existence.


4/5

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