I don't profess to be anything other than the usual movie viewer. But I can say that, even though it's cultural very different from US movies, it is near perfect in almost every way. It's character driven and Kurosawa builds characters here that are almost too real. It feels vey different from American movies but it's so easy to get lost in the thoughts and feelings of the people portrayed. Takashi Shimura is nothing short of inspired in the lead role. I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said, but take the 2hours 23min and I don't think you will be sorry.

A good movie by the master filmmaker.

One of the master's finest films! The story of a paper-pusher who, on learning he's going to die, wakes up and tries to live, but above all tries to do something good for the community. His son won't talk to him, wants his money and his colleagues despise him. But he has found the strength to act through the rabbit girl. The funeral scene is superb: at first, his colleagues agree with the deputy that the park isn't Watanabe's, but one man stands up to say that it isn't. It was he who made the park, despite all the difficulties. Then, everyone recalls a detail of the project, and all the locals come to pray, his stubbornness in overcoming the administrative barriers, all the barriers despite the mafia. The scene where the construction starts and we see his face lit up, by God? A beautiful scene. Then his colleagues begin to realize the kind of man he was at the end, and in their drunken stupor decide to change. Months later, something unfair happens and his colleagues haven't changed a thing, except for the man who defended Watanabe first, who looks on. The closing scene with the swing is superb, with Watanabe singing under the snow of his accomplished work, no longer afraid of death and no longer having time for enemies. There's subtlety here, and you'd expect people to exclaim that he's a holy man, but there's none of that, no easy feelings here. A powerful indictment of the administrative society of the 1950s.

I didn't know what to make of "Ikiru" as I began watching it. I had not heard anything about the film. I watched it because it was a Kurosawa film, and even if they don't feature samurai, Kurosawa makes great films. Our main character, Kanji, is told that he does not have long to live. Kanji has spent his life working for the government. There is an amusing montage showing how the red tape of government work prevents anything from being done. Given this ultimatum of life, Kanji begins to reevaluate things. He tries to find happiness. At first, I thought I had this movie figured out, and I thought it was fine. But then it takes a turn. After this turn happens, this movie upgrades from fine to spectacular. I won't say what that turn is, but when it happens, I was blown away. Life is short, but this film is still worth your time.

This a thought-provoking and deeply humanist portrait of a man in the final days of his life. Faced with the realization that he has immersed himself in a life-long career seemingly dedicated to accomplishing nothing of importance, he desperately tries various methods of bringing meaning to his existence. When pursuits of personal pleasure do not work for him, he finally realizes that helping others -- especially those who are essentially powerless -- is the key to his salvation. That process is shown in retrospect, utilizing flashbacks and the testimonials of his survivors. Shot in 1951, just six years after Japan's defeat in World War 2, the film depicts a city in near-ruin and a populous in the throes deprivation, not only physically, but in terms of morale. It can be difficult for modern, Western audiences -- especially those who do not understand the language and must rely on subtitles-- to grasp the entirety of the film's meaning. It is one of those films that can benefit from multiple screenings.

Much stronger than the lazy 2023 English remake. I absolutely understand why movies like this and Tokyo Story are beloved by film buffs. It just doesn’t register that hard for me.

Yes its deeply moving and beautifully filmed but it's also worth mentioning what an incisive and continually relevant critique of bureaucratic cowardice this movie is

A masterpiece from one of the greatest directors of all time.

The 'what would you do if you only had X amount of time to live?' trope is pretty tired at this point, but Ikiru takes an incredibly inventive approach and has beautiful performances and excellent cinematography to bolster it. The third act in particular could've been skipped altogether, but does a great job engaging the audience further - sure you think you would change how you live, but would you really? It goes without saying that Shimura crushed this role - his consistently deflated expression holds so multitudes and it's genuinely hard to look at it. He was so pitiful it made me mad - I did not want to see his face anymore. I'm particularly fond of the scene where he goes to the parks department and just sits there making everyone uncomfortable with his tragic face. I also loved Odagiri's performance - she's such a real person despite a character archetype that often feels unreal, undeveloped, and fantastical (obviously the writing takes some credit for this as well).

This film was so incredible. I resonated with that ending on a spiritual level. Easily my favorite from Kurosawa.

Those are the kind of movies which change your life. A masterpiece.

Ikiru: “To Live” We are all alive, each and every one of us. But are we truly living? As individuals, we are caught up working, for hours, months, years, decades without realising, we are not truly living. Life is precious, yet we are wasting it. Ask yourself, in all of these years you have been alive, have you truly “lived”? How many hours of your life have you wasted? How much could you have accomplished in that wasted time? Yet we ask ourselves, why we shouldn’t waste time, why should we work, when we will all eventually succumb? What is the purpose of life? We shall never find out in this life, but perhaps we shall in the next. Kanji Watanabe is a bureaucrat, who has been working in the same boring department for the past 30 years. His life has so far been meaningless, monotonous and dull. After continuous pain in the stomach, he proceeds to visit a physician, where he finds out he has less than a year’s time to live, due to stomach cancer. After days of depression, Kanji sets out to spend his remaining time truly “living”, yet it is not quite enough. He wishes to leave something behind... Kurosawa’s masterpiece, Ikiru is a hauntingly beautiful film with a variety of meaningful and realistic concepts. Ikiru is a film quite unlike any other. Despite dealing with petrifying themes, the film has a rather peaceful tone and sequences of joy.

This movie is supremely unique. It doesnt' bother with all the normal movie tropes, and goes right to the full honest truth about life, and what is truly important.

Excellent film. Nothing "LGBTQ+" about it. That's a strange description for the genre.

Stunning representation of human nature, of man's hypocrisy and the pure joy of living for others. Truly moving.

A thoughtful, artful movie about the meaning of life, bureaucracy, pleasure, doing a good job, family, and how we are seen by our colleagues.

I suppose it's not too late to live, as the Japanese title translates as "to live". So live today, don't put it off. One more thing, frak the guvament pigs

Kurosawa's most personal and moving film to date for me. Touching, poignant, and utterly human, Ikiru is a triumph of human will and life itself. Takashi Shimura delivers a powerhouse performance as both a young man, in flashbacks, and a gray haired old man full of regret in present day. After losing his wife, he spends the next 30 years going through the motions in a meaningless job and forgetting to actually live. When he is diagnosed with stomach cancer he is given only 6 months to live, and it's at this time he decides to finally live life to the fullest. Sad, hopeful, thoughtful, trying, and so raw with emotion that you feel Watanabe's (Shimura) grief foremost but also his hope. Ikiru proves that Kurosawa wasn't just a master of samurai films and can handle a human drama with the utmost care and potency. Any film that can push the viewer to think about their own life and what it is that they are living for has done it's job when trying to show the meaning of life and what it is all for. While the film is grim and at the beginning downright hopeless and sad, once Watanabe finds his reason to live finally, he has renewed purpose and drive and lives his final months at the fullest.

Great Film. Great Directing and Acting.

"Ikiru" is a devastatingly sad but truly moving human drama. This is one of those classic films that just have a timeless appeal because of its profound and universal themes. I think at some point, whether young or old, we have all tried to find some sort of meaning in our lives and we all live with the fear that our time can be cut short at any moment. This film explores complex themes about life with a beautifully realized story. I think the movie is a bit on the slow side, but it is definitely very engaging once it gets started and it is certainly a film that will stick with me. Overall, out of the Kurosawa films I have seen so far, I think this is one of the best and universally accessible stories in all of cinema.