Ikiru
“A big story of a little man which will grip your soul...”
Akira KurosawaCast
Takashi Shimura Nobuo Kaneko Miki Odagiri
Credits
Written by: Akira Kurosawa
Plot
A minor official learns he is dying and sets out to build a children's playground to give his last months a purpose.
Sinekatalog’s take
A dying bureaucrat searches for meaning and decides to build a small playground. Kurosawa's humane drama, with Takashi Shimura's quiet performance, asks what a life is worth. Moving without being maudlin.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.
Ratings
IMDb: 8.3 / 10 (104,323 votes)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset; Rotten Tomatoes snapshot from October 2026. Scores change over time.
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