Desire for life

Jerrold 2022-01-03 08:01:17

The film describes what a model civil servant old man with advanced gastric cancer encounters in the last moments of his life. Kanji Watanabe, Chief of the Government Citizens Section, is a model local civil servant who has been on the job for nearly 30 years. The housewives jointly applied for the municipal government to fill the underground waterway and build a children’s playground on it. After the application was turned around, he was kicked back to the Citizens Division. A year later, the housewives came to the city government for the second time to make suggestions. One month later, Section Chief Watanabe went to the hospital for X-ray fluoroscopy due to physical discomfort. He was found to have stomach cancer, and he could only live about 4 months. Watanabe returned home, looking at the portrait of his wife, looking back at the past, feeling lonely and helpless, and not being treated well by his children. Desperate Watanabe did not go to work, took out half of his deposits, borrowed wine to sorrow in the tavern, hoping to get relief. Female staff member Oda gave Watanabe a lesson in despair. The next day, Watanabe went to work and took out the joint application of the housewife from the pile of documents. Five months later, Watanabe died on a swing in the children's playground in the memory of the people.

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Extended Reading

Ikiru quotes

  • Toyo: I'll cover for you. I'm not like Carp Windsock.

    Kanji: Carp Windsock?

    Toyo: Yes, Mr. Sakai is a human carp windsock. His lips are always flapping, but he's just hot air inside. Plus he always acts like such a big shot. He makes 200 yen more a month than I do, so he looks down on me.

  • Kanji: Tell me, where do they sell women's stockings?

    Toyo: You want to buy some? Western clothing stores carry them.