Ikiru

 I absolutely loved this movie.  The plot is a high-ranking government official discovers he has cancer and decides that he needs to actually do something with his life.  It started a bit slow but honestly I think that was what Kurosawa was going for.  That part of the movie was about how boring and uneventful the main characters life was.  I think Kurosawa not only wanted to show us this but also make us feel it, and I think he does this throughout with all the different emotions.  The point this movie is trying to make is that we should not just live our life to work and make money.  This is a very common theme in movies and television.  What sets this movie apart from everything else is that while most movies say don’t work your whole life take time out to relax and spend time with your family.  Basically they are saying, yes work is important but make sure you take time off.  This movie says that the best and most enjoyable way to live your life is to work as hard as you can to help others.  Wantanabe tries the relaxation, the partying, even spending time with his family but his life still felt empty but as soon as he was helping others he was happy.  We can see this in one of the best metaphors I have ever seen in a movie, the Life is Brief song.  The way the tone of changes throughout the film is just beautiful.  This film is definitely worth watching if you didn’t get to see it.