RASHOMON (1950) by Kurosawa + MONSTER (2023) by Kore-eda

We are meeting at Williams Fresh Cafe, 170 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3E9. Meetup doesn't have the exact location listed, so please note this carefully.

[Barry]

It is my pleasure to welcome everyone to a trio of films related to examining 'reality' -- through multiple perspectives. First, our double-header.

On Rashomon, 1950 - "Rashomon by Akira is probably one of Kurosawa's very best, from his storytelling to the visuals, the picture is amazing.The film is about the truth, and burying it because no one can handle it. People prefer to live a lie than admit the truth, very reminiscent of today's world. The characters are talking to us, we are the jury." from an IMDB.com reviewer.

Rashomon is widely credited with helping to establish the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards. It has become very influential. Many nominations and awards, from Academy to BAFTA to Venice Film Festival to Directors Guild of America (DGA) to Kinema Junpo (Japan).

On Monster, 2023 - The director Hirokazu Kore-eda said that ‘The eyes of children offer a clearer view of the world than the eyes of adults’ -- including how a child's view can be often misunderstood, a lens of innocence, deep emotional bonds, and intense personal fears, contrasting with the perspectives of adults. "Gently devastating in its compassion, Monster is a masterpiece of shifting perspectives that surprises to the end."

Monster is recognized for its "Rashomon-style" narrative, which explores a school bullying incident from three different perspectives, with particular praise for Yuji Sakamoto's screenplay and the late Ryuichi Sakamoto's musical score. Monster received 41 nominations and 11 film awards, including from Cannes, Japan Academy and film festivals from Chicago to Stockholm.

There may be some further resources shared just before our discussion takes place. Happy viewing, and see you in Waterloo!

The third film is Leave No Trace (2019), set for the Red Brick Guelph on Sunday March 22nd.

Viewing Rashomon

On Kanopy, https://www.kanopy.com/en/kpl/video/113253

On FShareTV, https://fsharetv.cc/movie/rashomon-episode-1-tt0042876

On Plex (free, with ads), https://watch.plex.tv/movie/rashomon

Viewing Monster

On Kanopy, https://www.kanopy.com/en/kpl/video/15111557

On YouTube (rent), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXUbqFifVf0