Rashomon (Japanese)

Movie: Rashomon

Year: 1950

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Language: Japanese

Synopsis:There are couple of things which are as timeless as this movie. The plot revolves around the rape of a woman and the murder of her husband, a samurai, by a bandit in the forest. There are five witnesses to this incident and they come to testify in the court. There is a monk, a woodcutter, the bandit, the wife and the samurai who comes via a medium. The story revolves around how all these people have a different view of the same incident and everyone adds his/her own perception to the thing. This adds to the problems as most people are also trying to explain the incident from their own view points to save themselves. The complex plot leads us into very significant questions on honor, trust, desire, lust and pride.

My own take: Few classics in the cinematic world achieve such rare levels of cult status. This movie has not just inspired many movies, series and plays but also finds mention in literature. The beauty of the movie comes from the way how everybody’s truth and lies differ. The truth is never found eventually because the truth is all dependent on the individuals and all of them are convicts in some way or the other. The guilt in each individual as well as the attempt to save themselves determines the stories. The movie actually throws up a very important question that if the essential data is kept intact the interpretation is completely dependent on the stakeholders. A masterpiece that has been around for over 50 years and even today anyone watching world movies will find it extremely enjoyable. Must watch