I Live in Fear (Ikimono no kiroku, lit. "Record of a living being") is a 1955 film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune, Minoru Chiaki and Takashi Shimura.
Kiichi Nakajima (Mifune) is a wealthy foundry owner terrified of bombs, although he's too proud to admit it. So he plans to move his family to a farm in Brazil. Unfortunately for him, there are complications which delay the move. As Nakajima becomes more anxious, the family start to fight amongst themselves.
This film provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Kiichi is mostly emotionally abusive to his children, but physically beats Jiro twice.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Kiichi gets on his knees and begs them to evacuate with him after he burns the foundry down.
- Big Little Brother: Jiro is the second son in the Nakajima family, but he's taller than Ichiro.
- Break the Haughty: The whole film is one for Kiichi.
- A subtler one for Jiro: At the courthouse, he insults his father behind his back. Then Kiichi brings sodas for his family, and Jiro accepts one sheepishly.
- Daddy's Girl: Sue agrees with everything Kiichi says, argues on his behalf constantly, and is the only one of his children to agree with him to go to Brazil.
- Character Tic: Kiichi's tic at the beginning is irritably fanning himself.
- Dysfunctional Family: The Nakajima family, even before the family patriarch starts going insane.
- Jerkass Has a Point: The government officials think Kiichi's attempt to move to Brazil is an irrational one, but also that he expresses the same fear that everyone has.
- Manipulative Bastard: Mr. Kuribayashi, the husband of one of Kiichi's mistresses, deliberately amplifies Kiichi's fear of the H-Bomb to drive him out so that he, his wife and his illegitimate daughter can take over the foundry.
- No Ending: Does the family move to Brazil, or stay in Japan? We never find out. They likely didn't, given that their father's paranoia put them off.
- Pride: Kiichi's Fatal Flaw in the first half. He's scared of nuclear weapons but too proud to admit it.
- Sanity Slippage: Kiichi was already unstable by the start of the film, but at the end he completely snaps.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: Jiro (Minoru Chiaki) shrieks when his father beats him with his fan.
- Theremin: Used in the theme music, in an odd non-sci fi example.
- Thunder Equals Downpour: And lightning, too.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Kiichi burns down the foundry so that the family can go to Brazil.
- Would Hit a Girl: Jiro, even as an adult, still hits his sister whenever she winds him up.
