Ikiru: Facing Mortality and Facing the Other
I. Introduction
This paper will focus on an aesthetic and philosophical interpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film, Ikiru. Despite Ikiru having an unconventional story structure–especially for the time–there is a common function of the plot that is present in many other films and novels. This theme is that of the transition from being to becoming, or existing to living. There are many threads of influence or commonality that…
On the morning of December 23rd, 2021, I sat down with a cup of hot tea after my breakfast and finished the last few pages of Joan Didion’s essay, “Goodbye To All That,” and ultimately, her novel (my first read of hers), Slouching Towards Bethlehem. That night, I watched this documentary about the prolific writer’s remarkable yet heartbreaking life. It is now the next day, December 24th, and I just found out Joan Didion died yesterday at the age of 87.…
Red leaves me feeling filled to the brim with possibility. It is so easy to fall into a passive trance in life, where you look at everything day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, etc. All too rarely, I will make a decision that shocks me into remembering just how much control I have over my life. It could be as simple as striking up a conversation with an interesting person or as monumental as deciding what to study in school.
The former, however,…
