The film Roshomon by Akira Kurosawa questions the nature of truth and reality. It tells the story of a murder witnessed by multiple individuals who each provide a different account of what happened. This brings up the question of whether truth is objective or subjective. Errol Morris argues that truth is absolute, while Roger Ebert believes truth is relative to one's perspective. Although the film leaves the true account ambiguous, Morris's view that reasoning can reveal an objective truth best explains it, as only one person could have committed the murder.

1. Ian Reau
Period 4
14/11/11
Roshomon Essay Final Draft
The Film Roshomon directed by Akira Kurosawa was a film created to question how
each individual determines what is truth and reality, and the different ways each individual
judges and accepts what they accept as truth and reality. The primary plot of the film is that
there are three individuals being a priest, a woodcutter and a local man who are discussing
the horrific murder a samurai on the nearby mountains. Although they are taken to court to
explain what they saw each individual involved in this murder being the bandit, the wife, the
dead samurai, and the woodcutter had their own version of the same event that had occurred.
However each of these individuals stories are equally believable as each others, which brings
up the main question that this film presents being how can the audience/individuals know
whose story is telling the truth and which ones are not. The two main viewpoints that are
presented to answer this main question of how do individuals know what is reality and truth
is presented by Errol Morris’s and Roger Ebert’s. Errol Morris’s argument is that truth is
independent of the human experience and beliefs, therefore truth and reality is absolute. The
counter argument by Roger Ebert’s is that truth and reality is subjective to the individual,
therefore what individual’s belief and perceive as truth and reality is such. Although Roger
Ebert’s argument does apply to the movie Roshomon in the sense that the truth is subjective
for each individual of the play and thus the truth changes based on a individuals emotional
belief for a certain story. However, Morris’s view on reality only holding one absolute and
infinite truth is the best way to understand the film as it is supported by ones of greater
certainty being reason and perception.

2. Although in the movie Roshomon the films conclusion does not state who the killer
truly is, instead leaving the audience to interpret for themselves who the killer is or whose
story is the truth. This would be a clear example of the subjectivity of truth as well since each
individual themselves will base their justifications and beliefs on whose story they believe
based on their own emotional connection to the event. This idea of multiple truths with no
absolute truth also ties in with ideas of relativism in the since that because each individual is
different truth is therefore relative. However this idea of relativism is also flawed because not
all things can have more than one truth. An example being in believing that a straw changes
shape (bends) in water may be considered true for one individual based on his sole belief,
however can never be considered reality (Knowledge) since it lacks both justification
(evidence) and truth to be considered such. Also another idea which arises with this idea of
truth being subjective to the individual is the idea that individuals are trapped in a prison of
consistency due to their beliefs. To explain this example the pervious idea will hold and
because the person who believes strongly in the fact that straws do bend in water will tend to
disbelief evidence presented which do not cohere with their idea, thus preventing that said
individual from learning different ideas. Thus it can be seen that because of the strength of a
individuals emotion or conviction on a certain idea also makes them ignorant to others at the
same time, which leads the individual further and further away from finding the absolute
truth.
Lastly another reason why the Movie Roshomon is better explained by Morris’s
theory is that regardless of each individual’s motive or justification for killing the samurai,
through reasoning their can only possibly be one killer. This reasoning is illustrated often in
the movie as all of the individuals who speak to the judge explain their motives and
justifications which had made them a killer. However since all the characters declared
themselves as the killer it can be then illustrated that motive and justifications are not a

3. reliable method on discover who killed the samurai (a.k.a knowledge) and the only sure
defined way is through knowing truth. reliable method on discovering who really had
committed the crime, a killer the only thing that can define a killer is whether or not he did
the crime, and hence forth the truth. Thus the system of the justified true belief system cannot
be used to explain the movie Roshomon, but rather common sense realism. An example of
common sense realism being implemented in terms with the movie is illustrated with the
basic and simple concept that it is impossible for everyone to be the killer, as only one person
can kill the samurai. This illustrates the ability of reasoning to find the highest certainty of
knowledge.
The first reason why the movie Roshomon is more strongly supported by Morris’s
theory is because humans are often susceptible to rationalizations which obscure reality, thus
preventing truth from being found. In the movie, rationalizations were used by many of the
characters primarily the brute who had been with the woodcutter and the priest. His rational
thought process was that he would steal the babies clothing’s because if he didn’t steal it
someone else would without a doubt steal it showing his poor reasoning of ignorance.
Although this can’t be true because not all people would steal the clothing’s off a baby as that
would be a hasty generalization in itself. Therefore, this flaw in logic is one of Morris’s main
arguments that belief is to heavenly influence by human perception, and thus can’t be a
reliable way to find truth and reality.
Thus Morris’s theory that there can only be one absolute truth which shown through
reasoning and emotion is the most fitting for the movie Roshomon, since even though there
are many suspects for the murder, in the bitter end their can truly only be one murderer,
which was illustrated by the flaws of individuals often confusing truth with their personal
belief.