"Sometimes I think of my death," wrote Akira Kurosawa, "I think of ceasing to be... and it is from these thoughts that Ikiru came." The story of a man diagnosed with stomach cancer, Kurosawa's film is a serious contemplation of the nature of existence and the question of how we find meaning in our lives. Opening with a shot of an x-ray, showing the main character's stomach, 'Ikiru' tells the tale of a dedicated, downtrodden civil servant who, diagnosed with a fatal cancer, learns to change his dull, unfulfilled existence, and suddely discovers a zest for life. Plunging first into self-pity, then a bout of hedonistic pleasure-seeking on the frenetic streets of post-war Tokyo, Watanabe, the film's hero, finally finds satisfaction through building a children's playground. Beautifully played by Takashi Shimura (who starred in 21 of Kurosawa's films), 'Ikiru' is an intensely lyrical and moving film, and was one of the Kurosawa's own favourites.