Kurosawa’s tranquil, deeply human study of loneliness in the face of death takes a gentle look at what it means to live. Ikiru is more than just a film title; it is also a Japanese concept that can be translated as “life” or “living one’s life”. The terminally ill civil servant in Ikiru asks himself how he can still give his life meaning and impact in the face of death.

Takashi Shimura sublimely plays this taciturn government official, who has kept his job for decades by keeping a low profile. But when stomach cancer strikes, he decides to give meaning to an otherwise fruitless life. He blossoms through a series of encounters that open his eyes. Kurosawa’s eclectic style and striking compositions reflect his journey from darkness to light, right up to the moving finale.

In the West, director Akira Kurosawa is often associated with his samurai films and his regular leading actor Toshiro Mifune, which means that other films in his oeuvre are sometimes overlooked. How unjust that is is proven by this compassionate character study, filmed in a style that was modern for its time and reportedly Steven Spielberg’s favourite film. In 2023, the remake Living was nominated for an Oscar.