Ikiru

Ikiru, which translates as "To Live," is one of legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's most emotionally powerful and intimate dramas. Takashi Shimura (the lead samurai in Seven Samurai) stars as Kanji Watanabe, a widower single father and political bureaucrat who discovers that he has stomach cancer and realizes that he has wasted his life keeping busy in a largely meaningless job. After 25 years of punctuality and impersonal interactions with a staff who think of him as a dull, emotionless functionary (one young employee nicknames him "The Mummy"), Watanabe suddenly drops out, trying to deaden the fear though drinking and clubbing, and then becomes inspired to accomplish something meaningful during his final days. The film is split into two parts, with the second jumping ahead to Watanabe's wake, where co-workers toast the man and a memorable late-life achievement. Flashbacks punctuate the narrative, ranging from Watanabe's memories of how he reached his current state of apathy, to co-workers recalling the sudden passion and humility of Watanabe's last months. Presented with a new restored digital transfer, extras include audio commentary by film critic Stephen Prince, and two documentaries on Kurosawa. A beautiful, touching film that is one of Kurosawa's best-loved, this is highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)