Drinking this expensive sake is like paying myself back with poison

For the way I have lived all these years. In other words, I mean, it feels awful, but it feels good at the same time.
Random Guy In Bar: I understand.

I'm loving Kurosawa's "Ikiru." Normal guy, normal (while mortal) problem, nothing particularly exciting is promised to happen. I can see why it's not one of Kurosawa's better known films. "Rashomon," "Seven Samurai", "Ran" and "Yojimbo" had a lot of swordfights -- well, Rashomon didn't have so many, but there were swords around -- and a lot of iconism and moral, well, if not moral clarity than clear moral issues. "Ikiru" has a bureaucrat dying of stomach cancer who decided to help a women's group build a playground. It's very quotidian.

But, it's a killer movie. Lots of angst and conflict. Lots of shame and human pain.