Ikiru

Ikiru (1952)

IMDB #222 [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044741/]

The Gist:

Ikiru started off as a film that had flashes of genius, but felt a little theatrical at times as well. For instance, I loved when the protagonist found out he had cancer he had this great scene staggering through his house while all these memories (in the form of flashbacks) flooded over him in an expert rhythmic editing sequence. At the same time, there were a few moments where some bit characters felt a little two-dimensional, particularly in their dialogue. And so I was prepared to enjoy a very good, but far from perfect Kurosawa film. And then the second half came and blew me away. The structure is so intriguing. In the first half of the film the protagonist searches for some way to make his life meaningful before he dies. Then the film flashforwards to his funeral, his action already fulfilled. Through the talk of the mourners, we find out more and more of how it happened, taking in their own perspectives of the man, how they learn that he did in fact know he had cancer. It's so beautifully orchestrated, and the scene near the end where he sings mournfully on the swings? It's out and out powerful.