Rashomon

Great movie: The story is set in ancient Japan, where three passers-by seek shelter from intense rain in the ruined temple called Roshomon. Two of the witnesses, a dumbfounded woodcutter (Takashi Shimura) and a priest (Minoru Chiaki), are narrating the crime trial to the commoner. More than the crime, they are astonished to witness the testimonies of three people, connected with the crime, which shatters their faith in humanity.

A man (Masayuki Mori) has been murdered, and his wife (Machiko Kyo) was allegedly raped, while they were traveling in the woods. A notorious bandit (Toshiro Mifune) has been arrested, regarding this despicable act. As the trial starts, the fabricated lies resurface over truth. According to the bandit, he and the man waged a war after the rape, resulting in the man's death.

But the woman's version is that she was rejected by her husband, after being raped. So, with uncontrollable grief, she killed him. However, the dead man testifies, through the medium, that the bandit insisted to marry the woman after the rape, but the woman demanded the bandit should kill her husband first. The angry bandit left the place and the guilty-conscious man committed suicide. According to the woodcutter, the woman had manipulated the two men, who were finally pushed to gruesome fight that lead to the man's death.
What is liked especially was the dead husband's testimony from the afterlife: the way he was costumed, his make up, the wind, and his movement's (supposedly he was told to move like a lion, and watched some nature documentaries to learn). The ending was great: after watching how selfish and violent humans are, the film ends with a beautiful act of compassion. Rashomon means "gate" - the story was told at an old gate, abandoned - it looked like some kind of temple, but it was a gate that would ward off evil spirits. The fact that the "gate" was abandoned, run down, that the men telling the story were tearing off wood from the gate to build a fire (it was cold and raining) suggests that there is a lack of protection against evil, that the "gate" that protected the people was ruined, and that evil is abundant in the world. Absolutely brilliant movie.