Inspired by a Tolstoy novella, Kurosawa produces a masterpiece dealing with a topic which every human grapples with at one time or another, but which we all choose to ignore. Set in the times of the aftermath of the second world war, the movie chronicles the journey of a Japanese civic clerk coming to terms with his mortality in the form of stomach cancer. With only six months of remaining life, Watanabe tries various means to repress it, only to be repeatedly reminded of his imminent death. He begins to question the existential tenets involving his relationship with his son which had been driving his life up until that point. Feeling unloved by his family, Watanabe slowly spirals into a place of darkness and despair. This very desolate spot helps him reclaim a context not just to his disease but to his life. He has to draw strength within himself to prevail upon the bureaucracy he himself had created to give birth to something beautiful and meaningful for others. Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa – Japanese w/ English subtitles. (text by Ragneel Bijjula)