I'm going to come out and say it: 4 years ago, age 22, I was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Without going into details, I undertook a very different journey than most to the cancer experience, I fought, with alternatives and great stubbornness, spending a lot of time exploring my darkside and making peace with myself. My dogged determination and some remarkable occurences seem to have ensured remission, but you can't beat the human condition and I have no pretenses at immortality, so whether you give me another 5 or 50 years...my only mission as such is to take life by the balls and remember this film.
Watching this film for the first time tonight presents life's exit as ultimate and inescapable, giving the viewer a choice both crystal clear and razor sharp. How would you live if passion and love were your only choices? It's that simple, that brutal. Towards the end, the pacing drops to 'utterly aching', and the sound drops away: yes, the film itself might be a little too long, but the lethargic pacing in the final reel is there for a purpose, this is where you come in, where you meditate on what death means to you. Kurosawa is respecting your intelligence, inviting you to cut out your heart for the grandest of causes. The beautifully shot sets almost breathe with that intensity. I see a great amount of what I've become in those moments where Wanatabe bows his head only to slowly rise and stare into the camera: such despondency, yet such fierce longing and humanity burning deeply in his wide open eyes. I saw the best of man in a single moment, and I almost wanted to cheer. I don't see this as a sad film - my grief has been satiated. Wanatabe does not become the angel of death that he is briefly portrayed as. That choice is open to all of us.
This work welcomes a conversation on the most human of topics in a graceful and powerful way. Every human being should watch this deeply, deeply mature film.
"I have seen Ikiru every five years or so, and the older I get, the less Watanabe seems like a pathetic old man, and the more he seems like every one of us"
Ebert review: http://tiny.cc/y8rgdj28s5
Beautiful and brilliant, a masterpiece. I didn't actually find it depressing but it really makes you think about your life and the choices you make. The more I watch Kurosawa the more that I see how brilliant he really was.
It's clear: This is one of the most important films in cinema's history. Great acting, but slow as I was expecting. It's really slow, especially for those who can't afford watching a three-hour-film without falling asleep. It's not long, but slow, and for some, it may be a boring experience. For me, it's totally clear: it may be, alongside with The Seven Samurai and Rashomon, the most important film ever made by Kurosawa.
I say this now... let's see how my opinion changes after watching Ran.
Before I begin, I would like to say that this is not going to be a proper review and I want you to keep the one person behind it in mind.
My name is Jaime Rebanal, and I am a hopeless individual who has suffered through depression and extreme anxiety. I think saying that can already get a load off my chest for the time being.
But why say this in front of an entry about Ikiru, you say? I feel like Ikiru is a film that can represent me when I go through these depressive episodes so perfectly and though I'm not near death or anything, the pain that the protagonist, Kanji Watanabe, feels also begins to leave him to question, "What meaning is there in my life?". I feel a strong connection to this because even at times much like now I question myself about the exact same subject. I can't exactly sum up rather perfectly how hard does that pain hit me. And that pain is what I feel is so perfectly captured here, in what might probably be the saddest film that I have ever watched. Will this pain ever come to an end? This film is what I feel sums up everything about who I am as a person so perfectly, and it is also the one I turn to whenever I'm put into such a mood. Kurosawa, you have done well. Thank you for making such an incredible film about the struggle to find meaning in one's life, and I hope to find that meaning sometime soon.
My journey ends as there we have it, my favourite film.
I loved this. I was a bit iffy about the pace at first, but it's very beautifully done, and the send-ups of bureaucracy are hilarious. Astoundingly human and touching.
It was awesome to see a non-samurai film of Kurosawa's. Be that as it may, it was mildly slow at points, especially towards the end. Still a wonderfully executed film.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 27
Scratch47
I'm going to come out and say it: 4 years ago, age 22, I was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Without going into details, I undertook a very different journey than most to the cancer experience, I fought, with alternatives and great stubbornness, spending a lot of time exploring my darkside and making peace with myself. My dogged determination and some remarkable occurences seem to have ensured remission, but you can't beat the human condition and I have no pretenses at immortality, so whether you give me another 5 or 50 years...my only mission as such is to take life by the balls and remember this film.Watching this film for the first time tonight presents life's exit as ultimate and inescapable, giving the viewer a choice both crystal clear and razor sharp. How would you live if passion and love were your only choices? It's that simple, that brutal. Towards the end, the pacing drops to 'utterly aching', and the sound drops away: yes, the film itself might be a little too long, but the lethargic pacing in the final reel is there for a purpose, this is where you come in, where you meditate on what death means to you. Kurosawa is respecting your intelligence, inviting you to cut out your heart for the grandest of causes. The beautifully shot sets almost breathe with that intensity. I see a great amount of what I've become in those moments where Wanatabe bows his head only to slowly rise and stare into the camera: such despondency, yet such fierce longing and humanity burning deeply in his wide open eyes. I saw the best of man in a single moment, and I almost wanted to cheer. I don't see this as a sad film - my grief has been satiated. Wanatabe does not become the angel of death that he is briefly portrayed as. That choice is open to all of us.
This work welcomes a conversation on the most human of topics in a graceful and powerful way. Every human being should watch this deeply, deeply mature film.
bodoni
"I have seen Ikiru every five years or so, and the older I get, the less Watanabe seems like a pathetic old man, and the more he seems like every one of us"Ebert review: http://tiny.cc/y8rgdj28s5
seithscott
Beautiful and brilliant, a masterpiece. I didn't actually find it depressing but it really makes you think about your life and the choices you make. The more I watch Kurosawa the more that I see how brilliant he really was.vmunda
Beautifully shot, Timeless.CoffinDancr
Amazing film, and completely kicks It's A Wonderful Life in the nuts.Rdgz_Dust_Speck
It's clear: This is one of the most important films in cinema's history. Great acting, but slow as I was expecting. It's really slow, especially for those who can't afford watching a three-hour-film without falling asleep. It's not long, but slow, and for some, it may be a boring experience. For me, it's totally clear: it may be, alongside with The Seven Samurai and Rashomon, the most important film ever made by Kurosawa.I say this now... let's see how my opinion changes after watching Ran.
Tiago Costa
Before I begin, I would like to say that this is not going to be a proper review and I want you to keep the one person behind it in mind.My name is Jaime Rebanal, and I am a hopeless individual who has suffered through depression and extreme anxiety. I think saying that can already get a load off my chest for the time being.
But why say this in front of an entry about Ikiru, you say? I feel like Ikiru is a film that can represent me when I go through these depressive episodes so perfectly and though I'm not near death or anything, the pain that the protagonist, Kanji Watanabe, feels also begins to leave him to question, "What meaning is there in my life?". I feel a strong connection to this because even at times much like now I question myself about the exact same subject. I can't exactly sum up rather perfectly how hard does that pain hit me. And that pain is what I feel is so perfectly captured here, in what might probably be the saddest film that I have ever watched. Will this pain ever come to an end? This film is what I feel sums up everything about who I am as a person so perfectly, and it is also the one I turn to whenever I'm put into such a mood. Kurosawa, you have done well. Thank you for making such an incredible film about the struggle to find meaning in one's life, and I hope to find that meaning sometime soon.
My journey ends as there we have it, my favourite film.
Dieguito
The movie all civil servants should be watching!! A lesson of honor and dedication! Carpe Diem is the message!! "Dying is very difficult" KanjiPaper_Okami
One of the most depressing movies I have ever seen... and one of the best!MilenaFlaherty
I watched this long ago in a class but didn't check it because I knew I needed to see it again. Stunning. Elegant.Larkspire
I loved this. I was a bit iffy about the pace at first, but it's very beautifully done, and the send-ups of bureaucracy are hilarious. Astoundingly human and touching.TheBosma
It was awesome to see a non-samurai film of Kurosawa's. Be that as it may, it was mildly slow at points, especially towards the end. Still a wonderfully executed film.kanoba
Surprisingly great! Amazing and inspiring!adrieorchids
Beautiful.myopia
Definitely a favorite of mine now. Stunning.Showing items 1 – 15 of 27