RECOMMENDED FILM #2

IKIRU by AKIRA KUROSAWA

In his 1952 magnum opus, partially inspired by L.N. Tolstoy’s novella The Death of Ivan Ilych, Akira Kurosawa introduces us to Kanji Watanabe, a middle-aged Tokyo bureaucrat who learns he has only six months to live. He has spent his life in dull routine, leaving nothing behind for his name, nothing for anyone to remember. His days passed stamping papers under the wheels of bureaucracy. As the narrator asks: “Is this really what life is all about?” To discover the answer, you must watch Ikiru. Its story is poignant, touching, yet wonderfully simple, carrying a quiet message of optimism even in the face of death.

To watch a trailer of it, click here.

After you watch it,

To read my review of it, click here.

Still from Ikiru (1952), dir. Akira Kurosawa