Review of Ikiru (1952) by Jayakrishnan R — 17 Sep 2015

This is a wonderfully idealistic, sentimental meditation on what it means "to live". Are you missing your own life, and will you one day discover that you've never really experienced it? Will your discovery come just in time, or too late? Watch this movie and take the opportunity to reflect on how you may be running through your brief years with little to show for them.

..The film's structure alone is masterful. The storytelling techniques used by Kurosawa are still unmatched. Also worth mentioning is the acting-Shimura Takashi proves himself as one of the greatest actors of all time with his portrayal of Watanabe Kanji.

You may recognize him from his role as the wise leader Kambei in Shichinin no Samurai, but this is his greatest achievement. Several of Kurosawa's core group of actors are also in this movie, such as Fujiwara Kamatari.

I would recommend this film not only for film buffs, but for anyone interested in powerful, intelligent cinema.