Kulture Korner: Rashomon Film Review

By: Jungha Kwon, Staff Writer

Directed

by: Akira Kurosawa Written by: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyo

THE KELLOGGIAN'S RATING: 4/5 Cereals Truly great films force their audiences to think in new ways, and Academy Award-winning Rashomon (1950) is undoubtedly one of these masterpieces. Since it’s such a well-known and celebrated work, revisiting a standard internal review of the film might feel redundant. Countless critics have analyzed it deeply, and decades of diverse interpretations and academic research already exist. Instead of repeating those studies, I want to focus on the elements of the narrative that push our thinking to its limits.

Source: IMDb

Even by contemporary standards, the plot of the Japanese film is strikingly unique. It centers on a single event recounted by four different participants, including a ghost, each from their own perspective. Although these stories are based on the same incident, they do not align at all. Yet, there are no obvious contradictions that make one person seem objectively right and another wrong. Despite the clear ethical stakes, the film refuses to take a side. It proceeds under the assumption that each story is the "truth," which forces the audience to move beyond the simple victim-perpetrator dynamic and instead, to view the event as a whole. This is where the true greatness of the film lies.

The first point of reflection is the nature of perception. We as humans live within our own perceptions. We consider everything we see, hear, and feel to be the "truth." This belief in an undistorted perception leads us toward what we call ‘reality,’ and this conviction serves as the driving force of our lives. Without such certainty, life would be impossible, as we cannot survive if we doubt every single moment. But is our perception truly absolute? It can’t be. Human perception is deeply tied to our physical and mental states. Factors like fatigue, emotional status, and cognitive decline create points of distortion. Contrary to our firm beliefs, perception is actually incredibly flawed. Therefore, the events we perceive and believe to be true are often quite far from the actual truth. Thinking about this philosophically, our faith in absolute perception likely stems from modern rationalism. Since Descartes declared ‘Cogito Ergo Sum,’ faith in human reason has become a dominant value, leading to a binary way of thinking that separates reason from emotion. In this framework, perception is seen as something processed by reason and thus incapable of being wrong. This legacy of trusting our own logic remains deeply rooted in human history.

Rashomon serves as a powerful argument against this modern faith in reason. We rely on our intellect and judgment as absolute standards, but there is no guarantee they are always correct. Even in a single event, each individual’s perception was different in the film.

Today, it’s even easier to have a distorted view of reality. Thanks to sophisticated technological algorithms, the world we see is tailored specifically to us. News articles, videos, and social media posts inundate us with views that align with our own interests and opinions. This turns our perception of an event into something even more untrustworthy and biased. To get closer to the "truth," we must think critically about how we perceive things. Realizing that what we see is not everything opens a path toward better judgment and deeper research.

In addition to its commentary on perception, Rashomon is a profound meditation on human nature itself. The character’s differing stories may not just be a matter of perception; they might be manifestations of intentional selfishness. Even if the event happened in one specific way, each character may have fabricated their story for their own comfort or advantage. In this context, "truth" loses its meaning. We often like to think of humans as kind and altruistic beings. We’re especially generous when thinking about ourselves, justifying our own thoughts and actions. However, as the film shows, we may not be the people we think we are. When faced with a crisis, can we truly speak the "truth," even if it means painting ourselves as a villain?

It's important to remember that this film was created shortly after Japan's defeat in the Second World War. Amidst the misery of war, people realized how cruel humans could be and how easily they could rationalize that cruelty. Under the names of totalitarianism and imperialism, individuals hid their own brutality. The film is both an exposure of this reality and a reflection on it. More than eight decades later, human nature has not changed. People still hide behind grand causes to justify violence and mislead the "truth." We must be wary of this and constantly ask ourselves if we’re depicting ourselves fairly. To become better people, we must never stop reflecting on our actions.

Art is a mirror of humanity, and in many cases, that mirror reflects a dark image we might want to avoid. However, I believe that’s exactly when art shines the brightest. Rashomon may be a more challenging watch than the other films I have reviewed, but it reaches the highest heights of what art can achieve.

More Kulture Korner Film Reviews by Jungha Kwon: Thunderbolts* Review "The Materialists" Review "Mission Impossible" Review Piece by Piece" Review"