Ikiru

Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru is another in a long line of Kurosawa films I have not yet seen, but collected anyway, thereby necessitating this project. Critics, scholars, colleagues, and even former students have extolled the merits of this film, but somehow I never found the time until today.

Kurosawa's follow-up to his troublesome The Idiot, Ikiru tells the story of Watanabe, a lonely bureaucrat who is terminally ill and merely passing time rather than really living. Of course, he's not aware that he's terminally ill at the start of the film. He finds out from his doctor several minutes into the story, but not before we see a group of women making a futile attempt to petition the labyrinthine government bureaucracy to have a cesspool cleaned up and a playground built in its place. More on that in a moment.

Watanabe's wife is deceased, and his son and daughter-in-law practically ignore him — mostly just worrying about the fortune he'll leave them when he dies. They don't know he's terminally ill, either. At one point, Watanabe attempts to tell his son, but his son won't listen.

Watanabe takes the news hard, and at first seeks solace in the nightlife with a new friend he meets while drinking. Then he runs into a young female subordinate on the street, and seeks solace in her (platonic) company. She's bubbly, energetic, and in love with the world. She's constantly smiling and full of energy. They spend a great deal of time together, always platonic, and become friends. Finally, after she has taken a job in a toy factory, Watanabe tells her the news. She's not really equipped to process any of it. She can only offer that working with toys all day helps her remember joy.

Back at work, Watanabe finds the women's petition and makes the park his personal mission, doggedly weaving his way through the labyrinth for them in an effort to get the park built. At his wake, his colleagues wonder where Watanabe got all this motivation and why.

Watanabe sees the end approaching and searches his life for meaning, finding little at first, but finding purpose as he goes along.

Ikiru is widely regarded as Kurosawa's best film, garnering a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film contemplates a simple theme: the basic and often unspoken human desire to leave a legacy behind when we die.

For some, a legacy is as simple as having children and counting on them to remember you and cherish what you leave behind for them. For others, a legacy is the creation of some kind of art, again to leave something behind for others to cherish and appreciate. For still others, a legacy is simply making a difference in the lives of others. Once Watanabe knew the end was near, it propelled him.

Do we lead purposeful lives? If not, what are we doing about it? What legacies will we leave? Is a family enough? Is art enough? Is a difference enough?

I have trouble seeing life as anything other than a limited time to make a difference. Our job should be making as much of a lasting, positive impact as possible on as many people as possible. I don't understand how anyone can see life any other way.