Ikiru (1952)
- 8.3
- 2h 23min
- Drama
- 1956-03-25 (USA)
Storyline
Kanji Watanabe is a civil servant. He has worked in the same department for 30 years. His life is pretty boring and monotonous, though he once used to have passion and drive. Then one day he discovers that he has stomach cancer and has less than a year to live. After the initial depression he sets about living for the first time in over 20 years. Then he realises that his limited time left is not just for living life to the full but to leave something meaningful behind...
Plot Keywords
meaning of life, cancer, death, terminal illness, existentialism, old age, park, playground, bureaucrat, bureaucracy, father son relationship, swing, family relationships, snow, dying, office, baseball, baseball bat, umpire, altar
Short Review
A thoughtful, existential meditation about the meaning of life and what constitutes a life well-lived, Ikiru is almost guaranteed to prod the viewer to examine his or her own mortality and ponder how, in the end, the scales will tip.
