Irreconcilable Realities, an Essay Written by Aaron M....

While analyzing Kurosawa Akira’s Rashomon in the essay, â€Å"Irreconcilable Realities†, Aaron M. Kerner writes, â€Å"The substance of the film hinges on what is irreconcilable, and â€Å"resolving† the narrative would run contrary to the film’s central concern.† In this quote, Kerner is addressing the fact that the film does not have a conclusion where the audience knows the truth about the characters in the film. Rashomon instead addresses the natures of reality and real life through his filming of this unusual mystery story. He addresses storytelling through the eyes of different characters and shows how the different points of view can have a major impact on the telling of the story. By telling the story this way the film creates a commentary on†¦show more content†¦These two characters do not know and the audience needs someone to tell us what has happened so an understanding is created. They are underneath a destroyed gate while it r ains violently around them. The setting is a very dark and unwelcoming environment, creating a strong sense of mystery. The audience does not know what has happened and the characters in the scene do not understand. A long shot shows the gate and the large rain puddles when a newcomer enters, seemingly from the camera. The character runs towards the two characters that are framed by the gate. This new character, the commoner, is the interrogator. He asks questions and drives the story forward. The commoner represents the audience and wants to know what has happened. As the characters volunteer to tell the story, the camera zooms in closer. The camera zooms in to simulate the audience members leaning closer, as they would lean closer to become more attentive to the storyteller and to understand a story more clearly. In this scene, the film sets expectations for the audience that will never be met. They believe as they story is told, a conclusion will be created at the end. The story is told from the point of view of two characters that were at the event and they still do not understand, suggesting it is possible that the audience will never know the truth. Throughout the film, many stories are told by different characters that are involved in the story. There are