One of the greatest achievements by master storyteller Akira Kurosawa, IKIRU shows the director at his most compassionate—affirming life through an explora­tion of death.

Set in post-World War II Tokyo, Takashi Shimura beautifully portrays Kanji Watanabe, an aging, monotonous bureaucrat who has spent 30 years leading an unfulfilling existence, earning him the nickname "The Mummy." When faced with a diagnosis of terminal stomach cancer with months to live, his life is turned upside down as he is impelled to find his life's purpose by stripping away the veneer of his existence by embarking on a desperate, final quest for meaning. His journey unfolds in two parts: his initial present-day struggle to find joy and purpose, and later, through flashbacks at his wake, the revelation of how he found redemption in his final days. 

Presented in a radically conceived two­ part structure and shot with a perceptive, humanistic clarity of vision, IKIRU is a multifaceted look at what it means to be alive. An enduring story that is loosely adapted from Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" and often compared thematically to the Frank Capra's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, IKIRU was recently remade as the acclaimed 2022 English-language film LIVING, starring Bill Nighy. 

Tuesday, December 30
Doors 5:30 pm | Movie 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Holiday Pricing in Effect! All tickets $10

IKIRU (Akira Kurosawa, 1952 / 143 mins / PG / Japanese w. EST) A bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.