While analyzing Kurosawa Akira's Rashomon in the essay "Irreconcilable Realities", Aaron M. Kerner writes: "The substance of the film depends on what is irreconcilable, and “resolving” the narrative would run counter to the film’s central concern. In this quote, Kerner addresses the fact that the film does not have a conclusion where the audience knows the truth about the characters in the film. Rather, Rashomon addresses the nature of reality and real life through the filming of this mysterious and unusual story. It approaches storytelling through the eyes of different characters and shows how different points of view can have a major impact on the telling of the story. By telling the story in this way, the film creates a commentary on society, but also a commentary on cinema. By showing that each character can participate in the same story, but tell it differently with different results, Kurosawa recognizes that cinema is also a way of telling a story. Each audience member reads the characters differently due to their different backgrounds. The audience member still participates and makes sense of the film, but they come to different conclusions based on their personality. Therefore, the film's "central concern" is to recognize that stories are affected by the storyteller's history. By “resolving” the story, Kurosawa would not only contradict the essence of the film, but destroy it completely. To resolve the story, Kurosawa would have to give the audience a conclusive answer at the end of the film and instead of showing that each character created a different reality, the audience would conclude that the characters who did not tell the truth were not only liars. to build their o...... middle of paper ......s at the controls of the camera. He moves the camera away and hides behind him. He is big and he has all the power. Rooney is out of control, he is small and helpless. The camera moving behind Sullivan represents the audience. They know Sullivan is about to murder Rooney and they don't want to be in between. Throughout the scene, Sam Mendes uses camera movement and distance to show Michael Sullivan's attention and John Rooney's inevitable fall. Works CitedBernstein, Matthew. “The classic Hollywood western par excellence.” Movie analysis: a Norton player. Ed. Jeffrey Geiger and RL Rutsky. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2nd edition, 2013. 298-318. Kerner, Aaron M.. “Irreconcilable Realities.” Movie analysis: a Norton player. Ed. Jeffrey Geiger and RL Rutsky. New York: WW Norton & Company, 2nd edition, 2013. 462-83.