Review of Rashomon (1950) by Ruairí C — 14 Jul 2014

A recent incident involving a kidnapping, a rape and a murder where the three people involved (a husband, his wife and a bandit) have conflicting accounts of events, lead three men sheltering from a storm to reflect on man's propensities for truth/deceit and good/evil.

The mystery surrounding the events in the forrest provide a great hook to keep the plot progressing but Kurosawa seems to have more to say. There's a sense that the spectre of World War 2 hangs over this film: the three men (a woodcutter, a priest, and a commoner) take shelter in the dilapidated gateway of what seems to be a town in ruins, commenting regularly on how "the world has gone to hell", but it's the three conflicting views to the one incident that could serve as a fitting parable for a world still making sense of how it could almost blowing itself asunder. Kurosawa himself is reported to have said the film is a reflection of life, which doesn't have clear meanings, but you'll find yourself searching for them anyway as the revelations and reflections progress to their surprising conclusion.

In spite of its age, Rashomon remains an unforgettable and engrossing film.