Ras­ho­mon

A samurai was killed. What exactly happened? In his still fascinating work, which has shaped film history, the Japanese master director Akira Kurosawa shows in a brilliant way that every truth is subjective.

Kyoto in the 12th century. In pouring rain, three strangers seek refuge in a temple ruin and start talking. Their topic is a crime that recently occurred: the murder of a samurai and the rape of his wife. The bandit Tajomaru is suspected. But what really happened? The descriptions of this violent crime shown in flashbacks from the perspective of the bandit, the wife, the killed samurai (who is voiced by a spirit conjurer) and the lumberjack who found the dead man give a very different picture of the events.

Is there such a thing as an objective, universally shared perception of events, or do we all experience events in the way that suits us best under the circumstances? Akira Kurosawa's multi-perspective drama hit like a bomb in the 1950s and continues to inspire today - and not just the films of Park Chan-wook.

• Thu 20 June Double feature "The Rashomon Effect" with JSA - JOINT SECURITY AREA 8 p.m.