Ikiru

Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952) is the story of an old man (Takashi Shimura) who finds out he has only 6 months to live. The film is the portrayal of his struggle after learning about this horrible truth. At the same time, Kurosawa delivers sharp social criticism by taking aim at the horrible bureaucracy that takes place at the office the man works at.

Ikiru is a heartbreaking film which has a few glorious moments of comedy, but in the end it is a tragedy. The film's content works on a personal and a social level: while the old man has to accept his incoming death he goes through a complicated phase of development before the film finally moves onto the strong social criticism. The content's admirable complexity left me in awe. Kurosawa's form doesn't fail either. The powerful camera movement and delicious photography are brilliant as usual.

Score: 10 out of 10