Directors Note

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Rashomon. A man murdered. His wife ravaged. Four eye witnesses. Four true stories. Rashomon, like so many of our now ever present courthouse dramas, centers on the concept of a legal justice system. The name Rashomon itself is not a person, but rather a place. It is a decaying, once glorious abandoned main gate to a city. Ragpickers, thieves, and corpses are its travelers now.

In a broad sense, Rashomon is a story about "point of view." Each eyewitness tells the same "story," but each tells a different "truth." Bias, perception, and the ability to recall are eyewitness problems lawyers are trained to examine in an effort to persuade. Truth becomes relative. There are as many truths as there are eyewitnesses.

The "fact finder" listening to the testimony must ask: "Why did the character say that? What does she or he have to gain or lose? What is wrong with their ability to remember? Did they have a physical or mental problem that impaired their ability to observe the events? Are they able to retell their own stories without difficulty?" We as a society must ask: "Is truth merely a luxury for the rich? Do people see what they want to see and say only what they want to hear? Is truth a black or white, off or on, concept? Or instead, is it dynamic: a spectrum with layers of truths: veiled by point of view?" In the end, never be afraid to speak the truth.