Ikiru poster

Where to watch

Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.

Streaming data from JustWatch

Ikiru

1952 · Movie · 143 min

Every rating

Platform pages last read 30 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

Google: Google retired the star ratings it used to show in search results, so this one no longer updates. More on where the numbers come from →

80–98 out of 100

Mostly agreed

Lowest is Criticker on 80, highest is Rotten Tomatoes critics on 98.

See the most agreed on films →
Compare Trailer

A longtime bureaucrat in city hall learns he has a terminal illness and only a short time left to live. This shocking revelation forces him to confront the emptiness of his life, which has been spent doing meaningless paperwork. He resolves to use his remaining time to accomplish one significant thing, fighting against the apathy of the government system to which he has dedicated his life.

Details

Based on
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
Studio
TOHO
Released
9 October 1952
Country
Japan
Language
Japanese, Latin, English, French
Runtime
143 min
Rated
NR
Budget
$85.0K
Box office
$55.2K
Awards
6 wins, 1 nomination

This title elsewhere

Takashi Shimura

Takashi Shimura

Kanji Watanabe

Haruo Tanaka

Haruo Tanaka

Sakai

Nobuo Kaneko

Nobuo Kaneko

Mitsuo, son of Kanji

Minoru Chiaki

Minoru Chiaki

Noguchi

Minosuke Yamada

Minosuke Yamada

Subordinate Clerk Saito

Awards & nominations

See all 7 →

1 major award won · 6 wins from 7 nominations across 5 ceremonies

Berlin International Film Festival 1954 Special Prize of the Senate of Berlin Akira Kurosawa Winner
BAFTA Awards 1960 Best Foreign Actor Takashi Shimura Nominee
Kinema Junpo Awards 1953 Best Film Akira Kurosawa Winner
Mainichi Film Awards 1953 Best Film Akira Kurosawa Winner
Mainichi Film Awards 1953 Best Screenplay Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni Winner
Mainichi Film Awards 1953 Best Sound Recording Fumio Yanoguchi Winner
Ministry of Education 1953 Minister of Education Award Winner

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.