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Ikiru poster

Movies that feel likeIkiru (1952)

Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.

If you loved Ikiru, the closest films we have are Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003), Perfect Days (2023) and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). All three share Ikiru's contemplative and lonely feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Tony Takitani (2004).

πŸ… 98% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8.3 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Akira Kurosawacontemplativelonely
10 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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When is Ikiru streaming? β†’

If Ikiru hit the spot, these will too

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring poster
πŸ… 94%β˜… 8drama

The same preoccupation in both: mortality

The difference: 51 years apart, and the 2000s show

An isolated lake, where an old monk lives in a small floating temple. The monk has a young boy living with him, learning to become a monk. We watch as seasons and years pass by.

Perfect Days poster
Perfect Days
2023 Β· dir. Wim Wenders
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.9dramaRent or buy

Contemplative where it counts, lonely underneath

Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.

To Kill a Mockingbird poster
To Kill a Mockingbird
1962 Β· dir. Robert Mulligan
πŸ… 93%β˜… 8.2drama

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

Scout Finch, 6, and her older brother Jem live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.

Certain Women poster
Certain Women
2016 Β· dir. Kelly Reichardt
πŸ… 92%β˜… 6.4dramaParamount+

Common ground: loneliness

Three strong-willed women strive to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest: a lawyer forced to subdue a troubled client; a wife and mother whose plans to construct her dream home reveal fissures in her marriage; and a lonely ranch hand who forms an ambiguous bond with a young law student.

Marty poster
Marty
1955 Β· dir. Delbert Mann
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.6drama Β· romancePrime Video

Lonely drama in both cases

The difference: Sits closer to romance than Ikiru does

Marty, a butcher who lives in the Bronx with his mother, is unmarried at 34. Good-natured but socially awkward, he faces constant badgering from family and friends to get married but has reluctantly resigned himself to bachelorhood. He then meets Clara, an unattractive school teacher. Realising their emotional connection, Marty promises to call, but family and friends try to convince him not to.

The Wall poster
The Wall
2012 Β· dir. Julian PΓΆlsler
πŸ… 76%β˜… 6.7science fiction Β· dramaPrime Video

One thread runs through both: loneliness

A woman inexplicably finds herself cut off from all human contact when an invisible, unyielding wall suddenly surrounds the countryside. Accompanied by her loyal dog Lynx, she becomes immersed in a world untouched by civilization and ruled by the laws of nature.

Scenes from a Marriage poster
Scenes from a Marriage
1974 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
β˜… 8.3drama Β· romanceMax

Drama built on stillness, twice over

Johan and Marianne are married and seem to have it all. Their happiness, however, is a faΓ§ade for a troubled relationship, which becomes even rockier when Johan admits that he's having an affair. Before long, the spouses separate and move towards finalizing their divorce, but they make attempts at reconciling. Even as they pursue other relationships, Johan and Marianne realize that they have a significant bond, but also many issues that hinder that connection.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir poster
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
1947 Β· dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.8romance Β· fantasy Β· drama

The shared currency is loneliness

In 1900, young widow Lucy Muir learns that her seaside cottage is haunted and forms a unique relationship with the ghost.

The Passion of Anna poster
The Passion of Anna
1969 Β· dir. Ingmar Bergman
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.6drama

Drama in the same key

A recently divorced man and an emotionally devastated widow begin a love affair.

Tony Takitani poster
Tony Takitani
2004 Β· dir. Jun Ichikawa
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.2drama

Drama of the same temperament

A reclusive illustrator falls in love with a young woman who addictively shops for clothing.

Rear Window poster
Rear Window
1954 Β· dir. Alfred Hitchcock
πŸ… 99%β˜… 8.4thriller Β· mystery Β· drama

The same drama instincts

A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

God's Own Country poster
God's Own Country
2017 Β· dir. Francis Lee
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.6romance Β· drama

Cut from the same drama cloth

A young farmer in rural Yorkshire numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Ikiru’s defining feeling.