Japanese Reviews Reviews

Film Review: Ikiru (1952) by Akira Kurosawa

Ikiru
"I can't afford to hate anyone. I don't have that kind of time"

Considered by many as one of the best films of and of Japanese cinema in general, “” is a movie that thrives on the humanism it emits and its harsh critique of bureaucracy.

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The story focuses on a middle-aged public servant, the chief of the department of Public Cases, who has been doing the exact same job for more than 30 years, even receiving awards for the fact that he has not missed even one day of work. His wife has died, and he lives in the same house with his son and his wife, who seem to only care about his will, however. One day, he learns that he has stomach cancer, a disease that leaves him with only a year to live. As he starts to examine his life, for the first time realizing its futility, he decides to find a purpose. After some time spent in Japan at night, first with an eccentric writer and then with an ex-colleague, Toyo, who introduces him to the night life of after-war Japan, he decides to dedicate the rest of his days to fulfilling the demands of a group of women, who want to transform an area that pollutes into a playground. In his efforts, he has to face the cruel mechanisms of bureaucracy.

Kurosawa focuses mainly on two aspects: the search for identity and the criticism of bureaucracy. The first one highlights his humanism and his belief that even the most “common” man can change his life by doing something for the common good, thus having an impact in the world that essentially justifies his/her existence. The result of Watanabe's actions becomes more evident in the third part of the movie, which unfolds during his funeral, as the women who had applied for the creation of the playground are the only ones who are truly shattered, while the attitude of his colleagues and relatives lingers somewhere between the judgmental and the indifferent. 

Regarding the second comment, Kurosawa is quite harsh in his critique, particularly towards the people who constitute it, presenting them as truly despicable individuals, whose only goal is to pretend they are doing something in order to justify their wage, and, essentially their existence. The result is a system that all it does is putting obstacles in the efforts of citizens, with the director highlighting the fact through the futile attempts of the group of women to have someone deal with their application, as various public servants are directing them from one agency to the other, all of them afraid to take any kind of responsibility. Toyo's character also moves in the same direction, as she considers her life in the public sector rather dull, which is what leads her to pick up a job at a small factory, where, even if her job is tiring and demanding, makes her feel a sense of accomplishment, just because she manages to create something (in this case, toy rabbits).

Another comment, which is presented through the night Watanabe spends in the various clubs and bars of the city, is the westernization that is particularly evident in the youth of the time, and the radical difference with the previous generation, with the members of the latter, like him, seeming completely out of place and time with their “obsession” with the traditional Japanese values. 

The movie leans heavily on the shoulders of in the protagonist role, who is magnificent as the archetype of the “little man”, emitting compromise, misery and servility from every pore. Also of note is the gradual realization of his situation and the subsequent transformation he exhibits, to a fearless, decisive man. The scene with the Yakuza members is characteristic in that regard, with them trying to convince him to stop his efforts violently, but in the end, leaving beaten, realizing that Watanabe is not afraid of death at all. as Toyo is also quite good, emitting the exact opposite mentality than him, being disillusioned, funny, cheerful and filled with liveliness. 

Asakazu Nakai's cinematography is also masterful, with him presenting images of utter realism, in the public sector (with the bundle of documents on Watanabe's desk being one of the samples) the various locations he visits during the night, his home and during his funeral. “Ikiru” was the first film where Kurosawa decided to do his own editing and the result was magnificent, with all the technical and aesthetic prowess of the movie becoming evident in the flashbacks during the funeral, and the final scene in the playground.

“Ikiru” is a true masterpiece of world cinema and a great testament to the prowess of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. 

About the author

Panos Kotzathanasis

My name is Panos Kotzathanasis and I am Greek. Being a fan of Asian cinema and especially of Chinese kung fu and Japanese samurai movies since I was a little kid, I cultivated that love during my adolescence, to extend to the whole of SE Asia.

Starting from my own blog in Greek, I then moved on to write for some of the major publications in Greece, and in a number of websites dealing with (Asian) cinema, such as Taste of Cinema, Hancinema, EasternKicks, Chinese Policy Institute, and of course, Asian Movie Pulse. in which I still continue to contribute.

In the beginning of 2017, I launched my own website, Asian Film Vault, which I merged in 2018 with Asian Movie Pulse, creating the most complete website about the Asian movie industry, as it deals with almost every country from East and South Asia, and definitely all genres.

You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

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