NEET
10/19/2025 (Sun) 09:44
[Preview]
No.958827
del
>>958819I liked it. Quintessential Kurosawa.
So here's what I think about the ending.
We have seen five versions of the same story, two told by the same person, the woodcutter, who also took the expensive looking knife.
In the end we have a choice: to believe he has good intentions with the kid or that he is planning something evil (perhaps selling it or whatever).
But we have another choice to make. We have to measure the priest too, who gave up the kid. And I find this dilemma the more interesting.
The priest had an internal struggle about the nature of man.
We can believe he saw the good in the woodcutter, he realized men are have their faults, but they aren't all evil. They all have their motivations, and some might lie to get away with theft so they can feed their six children. The pries might recognized this and gained absolution, his struggle resolved.
On the other hand, perhaps he lost the last battle, and gave in to weakness and evil. He held the kid, but what he could do with it? He is there in the destroyed temple in dire situation. Suddenly he recognized he has to take care of the child, but he will be barely able to take care of himself. And he chose to believe in a lie the woodcutter told him, because that was the easier route.
If so what lies is he gonna tell to himself later, to ease he burden on his own spirit, to not to feel bad about the thought that he gave a life to an evil person who did god knows what with it.