Rashomon

Recommended by Clay as a must see, Rashomon is directed by film legend Akira Kurasawa and tells the story of the retelling of a crime as well as how the story that we retell and the perspective that we retell it from might not always be the truth - or perhaps our truth. The film begins with a few characters sitting by the gate of Rashomon (which is a city). They discuss the death of a recent Samurai and the film then transitions to the story of the Samurai's death - which involves the Samurai, his wife, and a bandit. Without going into too much beyond that, it becomes evident early on that each of their stories have gaps - but it's those gaps that result in lost faith in humanity. Faced with a similar situation and question of intention, the original characters (the ones sitting by the gate) eventually are faced with an ethical dilemma to do good or the get away with evil.

Despite the fact that I was told beforehand that the film is a masterpiece, I can safetly agree with that assessment. Kurasawa's analysis of the human psyche as well as what it means to be moral and virtuous even as the world around us burns. I interpretted Kurasawa's film as a way of saying that we are all inherently evil. We all act in self-interest, but it is the fact that we have each other that allows us to be more than just self-interested. We must be each other's moral compass if we are to survive.

And in there lies the most beautiful thing about this film - how it can be interpretted as well as how important it is for cinema today. When you see interviews of George Lucas or Christopher Nolan or other thought provoking directors of our modern age, they will all attribute the work of Kurasawa as the director that influenced their career. And it shows. There are so many dimensions to the characters and layers to each shot that a film maker needs to account for. This creates so many opportunities for arguing interpretations about morals and the human condition that can be brought into the classroom. More so than that, for students who are interested in being film makers one day (which there are a lot of especially in Los Angeles), films like those by Kurasawa should be ones that they watch before they leave high school. I can't believe that it's taken me so long to watch this, but I am incredibly glad that I did and that I am in the position to recommend this to students - especially those aspiring to be part of the film making industry one day.

As a jidaigeki (Edo period piece), the film offers a visual representation of what 16th century of Japan looked like - the dwindling faith in the Samurai and the warring conflicts between cities. This makes it a great component to any World History class intent on focusing particularly before the Meiji era.

9.5/10