Rashomon

Akira Kurosawa, 1950 (suom. "Rashomon - paholaisen portti/paholaisen temppeli")

The mother of all courtroom films but this one doesn't have a courtroom. The film shows four versions of an incident of a crime (murder and rape) told by different people (to a jury that is not shown as it is unimportant), but this story itself is being told by a man to two other people, a priest and a cynic, and the three try and understand together what really happened. One of the versions is "told" by the murdered man in a ritual by a medium in a visually breathtaking scene. Toshiro Mifune makes an amazing role as the wild bandit.

As in Kurosawa films in general, the theme of the film is wholly existential and ethical but the film doesn't try and point out any solution. There's no good guy and bad guy but just different people. And as Kurosawa films in general, the direction is so clear and plain and at the same time just masterful that the viewer is practically forced to watch with thought. You can't watch this film and miss it, yet you don't need to agree on any point of view. You simply will be touched.