But Watanabe was not reconciled, so he died. First of all, the son who gave most of his life for his beloved self, he wants to live. But when he heard that his son and daughter-in-law wanted to get their pensions and never cared about themselves, he gradually gave up. Only then did he realize that the love between father and son he cherished was nothing more than spectacles. His efforts were only to make the Mirage more beautiful, but it did not increase the authenticity at all. Watanabe murmured that when he had something to tell his son, his son believed that he would find another woman and hated him. He was completely desperate, and his son was dead in his heart.
The two female characters inside are really just right. Watanabe's daughter-in-law, the image of a selfish petty citizen. At Watanabe's funeral, she didn't cry. It's better than the aunts who didn't know each other. She bowed her head under the watchful eyes of her husband. The other is former employee Oda. At the beginning, when Oda burst into laughter and was looked at by colleagues, I was also disgusted by her innocence and destructive atmosphere. But she was the only person alive, the first to have the courage to quit her job to do physical work and she did not want to stay in the government all day without doing anything. What Watanabe envied the most was her attitude to life, no matter what she was doing, she always had a smile on her face. Even if she eats, sleeps and makes toys, she still thinks her life is fun, as if she is communicating with the children while working.
Another reason is that Watanabe thinks he hasn't lived well yet. For the sake of his son, he frugal and does not enjoy the joy of life. So the down-and-out novelist took him to see him in order to numb himself. But sadness always emerges involuntarily in joy, and drunkenness also makes him closer to death faster. So he gave up this kind of enjoyment.
He became wanting to stick to Oda, who was full of youth and vitality, not love, but just grasping the last straw before her death, hoping to stay in the world. When he realized that he could live anew in other ways, he made a choice without hesitation.
Putting up his glasses and holding up a stack of papers, he decided to rebirth from where he died. The suspicions of his subordinates, the non-cooperation of other departments, the ignorance of the boss, and the threats of the black forces have no effect on him. Because he is a dying person, he has no scruples. He was familiar with the methods in the agency, he did not hesitate to ask for help with his own low voice, and even plucked up the courage to rush into the deputy mayor.
The second half of the film is highlighted by the contrast of the performance of those who had contact with Watanabe during the funeral. The person in the photo in the wreath is not dead, and the drunken people who are in the circle are actually the real walking dead.
Even if Watanabe's death made them realize that they were already dead, they made a promise: remember today's mood to encourage future self. But when I returned to work, everything went back to the original.
Kurosawa gave his thoughts on what is alive and what is dead.
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