Parents' Guide to

Rashomon

By David Gurney, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Intense Kurosawa masterpiece about a rape and killing.

Movie NR 1951 88 minutes
Rashomon Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 4 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 18, 2022
age 15+

A fantastic film of light and truth

A gorgeous film...the light, the shadow, the score, the perspectives, the maniacal laughter. It seems everyone has taken big chunks from this script and filming style. This film is about the ambiguity of truth and the motivations of our narratives and how we are all fallible. I mean he even makes the medium seem credible. There are many voices and a lot of light through leaves and it all comes together in the shape of a baby that is somehow hope for the future of mankind...or maybe not, perhaps if it would have been a bit more overcast instead of sunny...
thenoah
thenoah Adult
February 17, 2013
age 11+

Maybe the Greatest Film of All Time

This movie is simply AMAZING! It is appropriate for almost all ages, but I don't think kids under eleven will appreciate it. This movie is though provoking, entertaining, and extremely intriguing. I highly recommend it.

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What's the Story?

In director Akira Kurosawa's RASHOMON, a man is murdered in the woods following the rape of his wife by a bandit. At the trial, the bandit, the wife, a medium channeling the murdered man, and a woodcutter who had been hiding in the woods all recount different versions of the story. The movie works to expose the near impossibility of finding absolute truth in the world rather than condemn any one. At the end, the woodcutter acts to redeem himself, punctuating the narrative with a sense of hope.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (2):

Rashomon was the film that brought Akira Kurosawa, and many would say Japanese cinema, to international renown, and it's a true cinematic masterpiece. Kurosawa's direction is magnificent, structuring the film to clearly give each version of the story its own space while maintaining its connection with the other versions. Toshiro Mifune as the nearly spastic bandit is a pleasure to watch.

That said, the themes here are very mature, so it's best to share with teens who are mature enough to handle the material.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the potential fallibility of the legal system in relation to absolute truth. What factors do you think played a role in the credibility of one witness' account over another? Have you ever been in a situation where you heard two accounts of the same event? Which version did you believe? Why?

  • How is violence depicted in this movie? Was it necessary to the story, or could it have been simply mentioned by the different witnesses of the crimes committed?

  • How do the different versions of the same event highlight the movie's central themes?

Movie Details

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