by Kelly Brocklehurst
Daily Lobo
There's something about foreign films that make us watch them in earnest, even when the movies really aren't good.
We are captivated by "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Yet one foreign film people tend to overlook is "Rashomon."
I had never heard of the movie until I took a film-criticism class in high school.
The truth is, I was never really into foreign films. I'm still not.
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But something about "Rashomon" that captured my attention. While most of my classmates were falling asleep, I was eagerly watching the movie to see what would happen next.
"Rashomon," directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1950, isn't a typical movie. It's a compelling story of a man's murder, as four witnesses give testimonies radically different from one another. One of those witnesses included the dead man who tells his story through a medium.
It's called the Rashomon effect, when people who witness the same incident tell different versions of the incident - a concept that isn't uncommon in the world of law.
The Rashomon effect, though not usually known by that name, is so common it would be hard not to find it in any trial.
"Rashomon" is a movie I won't likely forget. It's different from most movies, and the characters who testify are fascinating: the murdered man, his wife, the bandit who is suspected of being the murderer and the woodcutter who accidentally witnessed the crime.
You never see the judge or jury during the movie, but it doesn't matter. Trying to keep the witnesses and their stories straight is enough.
"Rashomon" isn't just about a murder trial. It's a movie that forces viewers to think about human nature and the lies we weave on a daily basis.
Although boring at times, there's something about "Rashomon" that makes viewers want to stick around to hear the verdict.
Then it hits you. There is no jury, because we are the jury, and it's up to us to reach a verdict.
I still haven't figured out what it is.
