There may have been a film even earlier, but I think Kurosawa's "Rashômon" (1950) was the first film to delve deep into the twisted convolutions of human perception. Take a sensational event and study how different witnesses will remember it, often in complete conflict with each other, due to selfishness, pride or willful ignorance. Gilligan's Island did this a few times, too.
I think Yureru went one step beyond Rashômon (and maybe even beyond Gilligan), because in this film the witnesses are dynamic, fickle in their perceptions, and their own memories are prone to wild swings of "truth" to the point that they themselves aren't sure of what truth really is. Is that what the title "Sway" means? It sure seems to fit.
I wouldn't recommend this film to everyone due to its heavy, ponderous nature, but certainly if you're a fan of Kurosawa's work... or a student of Kant ...or you stay up sleepless nights wondering if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it does it make a sound... then by all means watch this film.
Soundtrack is groovy. Images are artistically & beautifully shot. Editing is very suspenseful to those who are paying attention. The final 10 seconds are brilliant--one of the most memorable and powerful conclusions I've seen in a long while.
I think Yureru went one step beyond Rashômon (and maybe even beyond Gilligan), because in this film the witnesses are dynamic, fickle in their perceptions, and their own memories are prone to wild swings of "truth" to the point that they themselves aren't sure of what truth really is. Is that what the title "Sway" means? It sure seems to fit.
I wouldn't recommend this film to everyone due to its heavy, ponderous nature, but certainly if you're a fan of Kurosawa's work... or a student of Kant ...or you stay up sleepless nights wondering if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it does it make a sound... then by all means watch this film.
Soundtrack is groovy. Images are artistically & beautifully shot. Editing is very suspenseful to those who are paying attention. The final 10 seconds are brilliant--one of the most memorable and powerful conclusions I've seen in a long while.