Ikiru (1952)
(Akira Kurosawa, Japan 1952, 143 min., 35mm, Japanese w/English subtitles)
Often overlooked amidst his samurai films and historic epics, Kurosawa’s humanist films of the 1940s and ‘50s remain among his best, and Ikiru is his finest hour. When asked about the film, Kurosawa remarked, “Sometimes I think about my own death. And when I do, I also think I’m not ready to die . . . There are still so many things left to do . . . When I get this feeling, I just ache. Out of these feelings came Ikiru.” Frequent Kurosawa cast member Takashi Shimura stars as Kanji Watanabe, a bureaucrat as good as dead while living who suddenly struggles hard to live once he learns he is dying. He finds a ray of hope in one last act of kindness through his work that will stand as his legacy. A film about work-life balance as much as it is about how we will be remembered when we die, Ikiru remains an all-time classic of world cinema.