RASHÔMON

1951, Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 88 min.

Introduced by psychology professor Dr. Steven Young

Director Akira Kurosawa masterfully weaves three different perspectives on the the murder of a Samurai warrior.
In the film, three men are forced to take refuge from the rain in the shell of a former gatehouse called Rashômon. After one of the men admits he knows more about the murder than he originally let on, Rashômon becomes a space of revelations and altered perception.

About Cabaret Cinema: Perception

Can the truth truly be trusted? Is it objective or rather tinted by our experience and memories? Perhaps there is no better medium with which to explore these questions than the illusory cinema. In that pursuit we have invited scientists to introduce films that potently demonstrate that much of our perception is clouded by the distorted lens of our assumptions and desires.

About the Introducer

Steven Young is an assistant professor of psychology at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His research focuses on how motivation and social context influence cognitive processes like attention, memory, and facial processing. He earned his PhD from Miami University and completed undergraduate training at Drew University in New Jersey.