In the West, director Akira Kurosawa is so often associated with his samurai films and his regular lead Toshiro Mifune that other aspects of his filmography are sometimes overlooked. That’s a major injustice in the case of this deeply compassionate modern-dress character study, which is reportedly director Steven Spielberg’s favourite film.
Takashi Shimura is utterly convincing as the reserved local government functionary who’s stayed in the same job for decades by keeping his head down, yet when stomach cancer strikes he resolves to bring some meaning to an otherwise fruitless life. Scrupulously avoiding slushy sentiment, the film’s narrative structure then cleverly moves the focus to the old man’s perplexed colleagues, pertinently prompting every viewer to ponder their own contribution to the common good.
