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A SOZOSHA — ART THEATRE GUILD COPRODUCTION

Produced by

MASAYUKI NAKAJIMA, TAKUJI YAMAGUCHI, and NAGISA OSHIMA

Screenplay by TSUTOMU TAMURA MAMORU SASAKI

MICHINORI FUKAO and NAGISA OSHIMA

Cinematography by YASUHIRO YOSHIOKA

Production Design by JUSHO TODA Music by HIKARU HAYASHI

Edited by SUEKO SHIRAISHI

Starring

KEI SATO FUMIO WATANABE

HOSEI KOMATSU ROKKO TOURA

TOSHIRO ISHIDO

MASAO ADACHI MASAO MATSUDA

Featuring AKIKO KOYAMA and YUNG-DO YUN

Directed by NAGISA OSHIMA

DEATH BY HANGING

Ladies and gentlemen,

do you oppose or support abolishing the death penalty?

A June 1967 poll by the Justice Ministry showed

that 71% were opposed to abolishing it,

16% were in favor of abolishing it,

and 13% were undecided.

But ladies and gentlemen,

those 71% of you who oppose abolishing it:

Have you ever seen an execution chamber?

Have you ever witnessed an execution?

Have you ever seen an execution chamber?

Have you ever witnessed an execution?

EXECUTION SCHEDULE

The execution complex is hidden away in a corner of the prison.

To set it apart from the rest of the facility,

it's partitioned off by a weathered wood fence.

One enters through what is commonly called "the Gate of Hell."

It has an area of 10,000 square feet, covered with grass.

There are cherry, azalea, and other blooming trees.

The building sits atop a shallow mound

and looks no different from a Western-style house.

The walls are 25 feet by 35 feet and are a light cream color.

The roof of sheet zinc, typical of cheap postwar houses,

flashes in the sun.

The interior is cheery, with salmon-pink walls

and five windows spread over three sides.

The windows have standard metal frames.

All the building materials are standard,

down to the reinforced concrete.

On the left is a 100-square-foot waiting room

with sofas, a table, and a chair.

This is for the public prosecutor and other officials.

Beyond this is a small restroom,

but it's only for men.

Beyond that is the 50-square-foot cell.

The condemned man is supposed to wait here,

but it's actually never used.

There's a toilet in one corner.

Beyond that is a corridor three feet wide,

and a door leading to the cell.

Curtains on one side set off a room with a Buddhist altar.

The curtains are dark yellow.

Rites are performed at the altar before the execution.

Near the left window stand the prosecutor, his clerk,

the warden, and other prison staff.

The chaplain, who leads the prisoner here,

conducts the last rites.

Facing the front door,

you see a plain Buddhist altar.

If the condemned is a Christian,

the altar doors stay closed, and fresh lilies are set out.

The condemned makes a final prayer.

He's then asked whether he's made a will

and what he wants done with his remains and valuables.

He's given time to write a will

and leave last words for next of kin or the staff.

He's given sweets or fruit as his last meal.

Then comes his last cup of tea and last cigarette.

All that remains is the execution itself.

Two guards blindfold and handcuff him.

The curtain leading to the room on the right

is opened for the first time.

That 140-square-foot room is the execution chamber.

Everything is ready.

Three guards chosen for duty that day are waiting.

The blindfolded prisoner cannot see what's in the room.

Slightly to the right and front of center is a trapdoor

with a noose hanging above it.

The rope passes through a pulley and is anchored in the corner.

The condemned is positioned on the trapdoor.

The last thing he touches on this earth is the maroon carpet

laid throughout the chapel and execution chamber.

Meanwhile, the witnesses leave the chapel

through the corridor on the right

and sit on folding chairs facing the execution chamber.

Seventeen steps lead down to the basement below the trapdoor.

Above the stairs is a viewing window

through which the witnesses can see the condemned.

One guard ties his knees together

with a cloth,

while another places the noose around his neck.

The noose's iron ring must touch the back of the neck,

and the noose must be tightened until there's no give.

There's a backup lever to open the trapdoor,

but normally a button is used.

At the security chief's signal, a third guard pushes the button,

the trapdoor opens from the front, and the prisoner hangs.

The basement's ceiling is nine feet high.

The length of the rope is adjusted so that the condemned's feet

are left dangling a foot above the ground.

Two guards wait in the basement.

They steady the body and turn it to face the witnesses.

The medical officer, stopwatch in hand,

descends the stairs.

The blindfold and handcuffs are removed,

and the medical officer begins monitoring the prisoner's pulse.

It usually stops after 12-13 minutes, at which point the prisoner is dead.

With the prisoner's death, the execution is complete.

R'S BODY

REFUSES TO BE EXECUTED

Hey! Hasn't his heart stopped yet?

It's beating perfectly normally.

Is something wrong with the noose?

No.

Nothing wrong with the noose.

- But — - That isn't my job!

What's going on?

The heart usually stops in 12-13 minutes, 15 at most.

It's been 21:30.

He still has a pulse.

When it stops, he's legally dead.

We'll undo the noose in five minutes and do an autopsy.

Everything was according to procedure.

Doctor!

His pulse isn't weakening.

Are you saying we'll have to keep the prosecutor waiting?

Sir, allow us to execute him again.

Execute him again? He wasn't executed.

That's right, sir. We'll execute him.

Would it be improper for us to try again?

I'm only here as a formal overseer. The methods are up to you.

Hear that?

He's still alive, isn't he?

Security Chief, according to regulations,

the noose can't be undone until five minutes after death.

But he hasn't been executed yet.

Shall we have another prayer and hymn?

In God's name? Never!

He's already received his last communion.

His soul is with God. - But his body's alive.

I don't have the statute here, but I'm pretty sure Article 479

of the Criminal Code says that if he's mentally incapacitated,

by order of the justice minister, the execution must be halted.

In that case...

we'd be in trouble for executing someone who's unconscious.

If we try to execute him again, we'd be breaking the law.

Why can't you execute someone who's mentally incapacitated?

Probably because the point isn't just to take his life.

The prisoner's awareness of his own guilt

is what gives execution its moral and ethical meaning...

though I'm no authority.

Doctor, is he mentally incapacitated?

Yes, completely, as you can see.

Mistakes are unavoidable in this line of work.

Let's call it a day.

We're just going to give up?

Doctor, do what you must to restore consciousness.

Yeah... good idea!

We restore consciousness...

and make him realize again the depth of his crimes!

You're a very clever man!

- Please proceed. - Right here?

It must be done.

I came to confirm death. I didn't bring tools to restore life.

Can't you perform artificial respiration, like on drowned people?

He didn't drown.

He was executed.

Step aside.

One, two...

- Stop that. - ...and exhale...

Stop, I said!

We're trying to save his life!

Warden, they're trying to revive him so they can kill him!

It's happening at your behest. - You're out of line.

Is this acceptable? Why are you letting it happen?

All in the name of the law, eh? - Calm down!

Doctor, please continue.

Come on — "one, two, one, two"!

Your job is to revive him.

One, two...

Warden...

Let's revive him first. The execution is a separate issue.

"There's an iron cell...

full of sleeping people who soon may die."

In the colonies during the war,

I read lots of strange stories.

"No one knew whether to wake those people or not.

If they awake, they'll taste the agony and terror of death."

One, two...

"Perhaps it's better to die without knowing that terror."

But the people in that story were all awoken.

Why was that?

For human beings,

death comes when one consciously accepts it.

It also said this:

"What happens when people don't accept death?

Some hold out hope and try to break through the iron cage."

Not that I believe in such things.

R DOES NOT ACCEPT THAT HE IS R

He's come back to life!

He was alive the whole time. He never died.

Warden, he's regained consciousness.

R, can you hear me?

Can you see me? It's the education chief.

He's still out of it.

Let's just hurry and do what needs to be done.

Chaplain, shall we begin with a prayer?

His soul is with God now.

I can't pray for a body that has no soul!

Don't move him!

Why not?

His eyes are open. That means he's alive.

The eyes are the mirror of the soul. He'll soon —

Look, we haven't broken any law yet.

Let's keep it that way.

Bring some tea and sweet buns.

R, have some tea. - Isn't it too soon for that?

Father, if you're going to pray, why not do it here?

You know...

before I started this job,

I shared the popular belief that you can only

execute a man once, and if you screw up, he's saved.

I guess that makes sense.

Just a personal opinion, of course.

Education Chief...

he was unusually calm, wasn't he?

What if he complains next time? That might be a problem.

I doubt that'll happen.

I think he'll admit his guilt and die with dignity.

What if he says he doesn't want to die?

His body's already clearly refused!

But body and soul are, you know, kind of —

And if his soul refuses, will you halt the execution?

Of course not!

His soul accepted its fate. He let himself be blindfolded!

That was before. But this is not the same R.

R's soul has departed this world.

Even if he recovers, R's soul won't be present.

It won't be the R who committed the crimes and admitted his guilt.

Indeed. R's soul has already departed this world.

Even if he awakens, R's soul won't be present.

No matter what happens, this guy isn't R!

Why didn't you die like you were supposed to?

Security Chief!

R, it's me, the education chief.

We had lots of nice talks!

Education Chief.

You understood me!

Long time no see.

Warden! He understood me! He recognized me!

Look!

- Where am I? - Warden!

It's your job. Tell him clearly where he is.

Tell him clearly?

Wait, I see now.

If he knows who he is, then —

It's simple!

Tell me your name.

You're R.

Your name is R!

Where am I?

Doctor, can we have him stand up?

I guess it wouldn't kill him. At your discretion.

Hey, R...

you know him, right?

He's the warden.

Warden, we haven't spoken in a while

He's talking nonsense!

We have to make him remember who he is.

He doesn't even know his name.

Allow me.

You were executed here.

- Security Chief. - Yes?

No, never mind.

I'd like to get him to remember everything from the beginning.

There must be a better way.

We have to make him remember the essential things...

like this.

Doctor, what's the medical term for this condition?

As I said before, mental incapacitation.

How long until he recovers?

I can't know.

This isn't a typical case of emotional trauma.

I've never read any case studies of amnesia after a botched execution.

This isn't in any of your books?

Mr. Prosecutor, must we wait until he regains mental capacity?

Whatever you do, you all have to be in agreement.

Warden, I'll do my best

to restore R to his former self.

His former self?

Bring back a soul called to God? That's sacrilege!

You may be right,

but I'm doing this out of human kindness.

This is out of love! Surely you —

It was your job to evangelize and edify him!

So maybe you could, kind of, like —

I can't evangelize a soul that's already been consecrated.

That's like pouring water into a fountain...

though I doubt all of you would understand.

It's like giving gonorrhea to a syphilitic.

R, do you remember this morning?

You got up at 6:20 as usual and had breakfast.

You had stew with soy broth, remember?

You said grace and ate every last morsel.

Then you read, as you do every day,

and then they came for you.

They came for you at 9:00 a.m.

You remember? They came for you.

Education Chief, what are you doing these days?

Read him the court's judgment.

Of course! I forgot about that.

Where is it? - Is this it?

Thank you!

"Verdict: Regarding the defendant R,

factory worker, accused of rape, lethal rape, and murder."

R, you understand? This is about you.

"After reviewing the prosecution's case,

the court hands down the following verdict:

guilty, with a sentence of death."

The execution's already been carried out!

"One Fujimaru pocket knife is hereby confiscated."

Where am I?

Be a good sport and come to your senses!

This isn't going to work.

Doctor, there must be a better way. - Nope.

Don't be flippant! You're being irresponsible.

If you insist:

If words won't work, make his body remember.

His body?

So if I choke him like this —

Hey, don't go overboard!

Still, tapping into his bodily memory may be the answer.

Education Chief...

the body!

To make the body remember —

Listen!

"I killed a person. I'm guilty."

Just get him to say that much.

I'll try.

R, you remember?

You strangled her like this.

Try it.

Not so hard! You'll kill me!

Remember the sensations, the texture —

though it was a girl, of course.

Well? You remember now?

Education Chief...

it's been ages. Have you been well?

What? You said good-bye a few hours ago and went off to die!

Don't scream at him if you want him to recover.

You have to take your time, lead him by the hand.

Cover every specific detail.

What's wrong with you?

You're enjoying all this.

Yours are the words of the devil.

Satan dwells within your heart. You want this.

You said you'd show them how, and now they're doing it.

You all want a taste of what it feels like for R.

But I will not lend aid to the devil!

You're walking along the bank of the Arakawa River

as a beautiful sun sets on the other side.

You hear the siren from a distant factory.

It's April. Fresh grass is sprouting at your feet.

You're refreshed, coming home from a bath.

The river breeze feels nice on your flushed skin.

It's a bicycle. You're riding a bicycle.

You ring the bell though no one's around. Your heart is soaring.

You're 18, and it's a sensual spring evening.

You see a girl's ass in the distance, swaying back and forth.

It's a young woman on a bicycle.

You decide to follow her.

You pedal harder.

Her hair is fluttering in the breeze.

You get nearer, and nearer, and nearer.

You're side by side.

Her scent wafts to your nostrils in the night air.

The scent of her hair!

"I hope she'll sleep with me."

I'm just guessing what you thought.

Anyway, you pull ahead

and bring your bicycle to a halt.

You wait for her. She approaches.

It's dark.

No one's around.

"All right, let's do it."

You grab her by the neck. - What are you doing?

Hey, you're the girl!

It won't work if you don't play the role!

I haven't read the court records.

I have no idea how to play the role.

Just when it was getting good!

You grab her and pin her down!

You squeeze her tight.

She thrashes around. Your skin touches hers.

You feel her breath on your cheek.

Smells a bit like tooth decay.

You grab something soft... breasts!

The soft breasts of a woman!

Education Chief...

don't make him do all the work. You be the girl.

Okay, strangle me.

I'm being strangled!

He dragged her 50 feet. Please drag me.

R, watch closely.

And now comes the intercourse.

Okay, intercourse is over.

I've regained consciousness. I open my eyes and say,

"I won't tell anyone. Please just go."

Look at me — I've got a wife and kids!

He didn't stand up like that!

You have to search for your soap holder!

R, watch carefully.

That man in white is you.

And the other man, though nearing retirement,

is the young woman.

Look closely.

Okay, let's continue.

I'm going to run. You catch me and straddle me.

Help! Help!

You must have the intent to rape.

I quit.

I like sex, but I can't just go and rape on demand.

We have to keep going!

Anyone else willing to try?

Warden, would you oblige?

I don't mind doing it if it's part of the job, but —

Chaplain...

what are you doing, sitting there like that?

What kind of subordinates are you?

I'm just not cut out for this kind of work!

Come here.

Now you feel like rape, don't you?

I haven't read the report, so please tell me what to do.

Like this?

"He straddles her.

He obstructs her airway with both hands.

She loses consciousness.

He again engages in forcible intercourse.

Within a short period, she's asphyxiated."

- And then? - That concludes the first offense.

R, this is how you killed a person!

You killed someone just like I just did.

Don't make such scary faces. We must use persuasion.

But he still doesn't seem to understand a thing.

Education Chief...

you should do research to prepare for such cases.

In the meantime, shall we act out the second offense?

Ah yes, the Komatsugawa River incident?

That's right. That was the core of the case.

Security Chief, let's begin. - Wait a minute.

If he doesn't remember that either, we're out of options.

R only committed those two crimes, right?

Right.

This has all gotten to be too much for ordinary men like us.

Wait a minute.

R's father raised him Catholic,

and he only grew more devout as he faced death.

Son, are you R?

You see, he's not R.

R's soul is no longer in him.

If he doesn't have R's soul, you can't say he's R.

And of course you can't execute him.

Crime is the work of the soul.

The body is punished in the soul's place.

If there's no soul, you cannot punish the body.

You wouldn't actually be punishing the crime.

Therefore, you —

You do understand.

You're just pretending not to.

It's true. You are indeed R.

You're R, but you're playing dumb. You're trying to fool us.

It's all an act.

That's R!

Of course, if his close relatives saw him, they'd say so too.

And yet...

Are you just feigning amnesia?

Are you trying to trick us?

Warden, how are you today?

Could anyone even pretend to be this stupid?

I don't know, but...

if this is all just an act,

and he keeps it up indefinitely —

Permanent mental impairment

means a permanent stay of execution.

War criminals used the same trick.

Let's noose him up

and see if he keeps up the act.

Step aside.

God has taken his soul...

therefore this is not R.

But if his soul were still here —

What would that mean about God?

- It would mean — - He doesn't exist!

O Lord, I have doubted you!

Come now, even God sometimes screws up his timing.

Shut up! What do you know about God?

Like me, R believed.

Are you R?

No, you can't be.

He really isn't R!

R or not, acting or not, I'm tired of all this!

Please give the order to execute.

Murderer!

Killing him if he's not R would be senseless murder.

You're the one who said he was acting! You're the one who blasphemed!

Warden, I can't work with a chaplain like this!

I can't be a part of this either!

Why are you leaving?

He isn't R, yet you're trying to kill him!

God condemns it. I can't remain among the godless.

I don't care what God thinks. You're required to be in the building.

R PERCEIVES R TO BE A SEPARATE PERSON

"Second offense: August 17, around 6:00 p.m.

The defendant decides to go swimming in a pool.

On the way, he purchases a Fujimaru pocket knife

to replace one he borrowed from his younger brother and lost.

He sets out for Komatsugawa High School,

which he attends, located in the same ward.

He casually goes up to the roof of a school building.

He happens to see B, a 16-year-old part-time student in the 11th grade.

She's sitting alone on a concrete slab next to the school's water tank,

reading a book.

He starts talking to her.

He suddenly remembers he has the knife.

He sees nobody else is around. He feels carnal desire.

He decides to threaten B with the knife and rape her.

Feeling uneasy, she starts to stand up.

He grabs her right hand with his left.

He opens the knife in his right hand and says, 'Come here.'"

Come here!

"Startled, she says, 'What are you doing?'"

What are you doing?

"She tries to escape,

but he won't let go and drags her to the base of the clock tower."

Over there!

"She struggles and screams, 'What are you doing?

Please just kill me.'"

What are you doing? Please just kill me!

"Her screams make him fear that —"

You should tell them you aren't R.

Say you shouldn't be here.

- Go on. - What are you doing?

He says he isn't R. Go on. Tell him.

Tell me what? You're R.

That's you over there.

That's R's crime.

You understand, don't you, R?

- What does R mean? - Attaboy!

Education Chief!

R is your name.

It's actually a Korean name.

You're R, a Korean. Understand?

Do you know how old you are?

You're 22.

You committed those crimes at 18 and have been in jail since.

Remember?

You used to use the Japanese name K,

but your real name is R. You're Korean.

- What's a Korean? - What's a —

What kind of a question is that? - Explain it to him.

How do I explain it?

If he were a nigger or some other race, it'd be easier.

How can I explain it?

As simply as possible. It's a matter of race.

We're in Japan, and everyone here was born in Japan.

We're Japanese.

You were born here too,

but your folks were born on the Korean peninsula, so you're Korean.

What kind of explanation is that?

You have to explain nations and ethnic groups.

Nations and ethnic groups?

As for your nation, you're a citizen of South Korea.

Your ethnic group is Korean.

It's too complicated!

For us Japanese, you're Koreans, no matter what the country is called.

So you're Korean,

and I'm Japanese, and that's that.

You're a Korean who raped and killed two girls.

Why?

Don't you know? Carnal desire made you want to rape them!

What's rape?

What's rape?

It's, uh —

You see a girl at the station, nice and busty, with a jiggly ass.

You wanna take her from behind. That's happened to you, right?

When you actually do it, it's rape —

I haven't felt that way myself in ages.

This may all be a bit too abstract.

Could one of you younger fellows give a clearer explanation?

To rape a woman —

Listen, you...

you're just pretending not to know, aren't you?

You're a criminal!

You were condemned to death for murder.

Admit it!

You're R, aren't you? Say yes!

You're not R.

Be quiet! We're getting closer!

Stop pretending! You're R!

- You aren't! - You are!

- Isn't! - Is!

Can you prove he is?

May I, sir?

Look, R! This is you!

"Fearing she would identify him,

he killed her and then decided to satisfy his desires by raping her."

I can't breathe! Don't forget I have high blood pressure!

You can't kill someone like that.

- You try it, then. - All right.

Chaplain...

you can't be the only one not participating!

"Gripping her neck with his left hand,

he pulls her down, then begins strangling her with both hands.

As she approaches death, he carries her behind the steam ducts' protective wall,

then straddles her and begins strangling her again,

this time using a hand towel as a ligature, until she expires.

After killing her, he rapes her."

You watched carefully this time, right?

That's how you murdered and raped a girl.

It seems to be working. Keep trying. One more push.

Understand?

Your carnal desire made you do those things.

What's carnal desire?

It's an instinct that makes men want to do things to women.

If you follow that instinct —

Well, there's nothing wrong with it per se,

but only between husbands and wives,

and lovers too, I guess.

Anyway, if a man follows his instincts

with a woman with whom it's not allowed —

Carnal desires...

perverse instincts...

the sexual instincts of criminals —

But following their sexual instincts is precisely what makes them criminals.

Anyway, usually one has an appropriate partner.

In your case, you didn't.

You're Korean, after all, and your environment and family —

Even setting aside the Korean part,

you had a poor home and a dysfunctional family life.

What's a family?

Come on! It's a father, mother, and children, all living together.

Let's say I'm your father.

Help me please, Warden.

This is my wife — your mother.

Over here, please.

You had an older brother, right?

You had lots of siblings!

How many were there?

Anyway, a lot.

Here's a dirty room, 80 square feet.

Everyone's huddled around Father and Mother.

Security Chief, come walking in. You're R.

At least say, "I'm home."

I'm home.

Your father is drunk again tonight.

It's a bad environment. The parents fight, the siblings fight.

Dear, don't just drink. Get a job. I work at home —

No, Warden.

His mother was mute.

Are you drinking again, Dad?

I can't help it. I have no job. There's no joy in my life.

I can't get into the role if you don't act more Korean.

Okay.

What fun in life if no drink?

We don't even have enough to eat!

Child shouldn't talk back to parent!

Where have you been, anyway?

You stealing again?

- What was he doing? - Night school!

- I was at night univer— - School, not university!

I was taking night classes at the high school.

Now what do I do?

Take the stolen book out of your pocket and read it.

Probably Dostoyevsky or Goethe.

Understand now?

This was your family.

You excelled despite your upbringing.

You were a good student for a Korean.

You were elected president of student council.

Remember telling me about that?

You won your school's debate contest at 13

and placed third in the district.

"Lincoln was born poor in a log cabin,

but he beat the odds and became president of the United States!"

Okay, I'm not sure this is helping.

Anyway, you worked in the factory all day,

and your desire to learn made you go to night school.

You read all the literary greats.

You could have gone on to night college and a better job.

And if you'd graduated,

you could have taken the civil service exam.

The security chief here followed just such a hardscrabble path!

What are you doing?

I've heard that a shock is good for amnesia.

Is that what they teach you at night college?

What do you think? Should we give up soon?

We've tried everything.

Just give me a little more time.

- Your opinion, sir? - At your discretion.

My discretion...

I'm not cut out for this kind of thing!

Warden, I think it'll just take one more push.

I'm on the verge of reestablishing the bond that R and I had.

Please be patient.

R...

you and I were like father and son, weren't we?

I think I understand.

Really?

You understand! Thank you!

There was a Korean from a poor family.

Yes!

So he killed a girl and raped her.

Then he was sentenced to death. - That's right!

Thank you, Amitabha Buddha.

Human trust is a beautiful thing!

I just knew you'd come to understand!

Warden, did you hear him?

Would you like your sweet bun now?

Why would I eat a sweet bun?

Well, you're free not to if you don't want one.

Would you prefer just tea?

Shall we start?

Yes, let's.

Education Chief, begin the service, please.

Chaplain?

No.

Fine! We don't need you!

R, will a Buddhist service do?

You may be Catholic,

but we have a heart-to-heart connection.

God, Buddha — what's the difference?

I'll chant a Pure Land Buddhist sutra, okay?

Then you can die in peace, right?

The great Tathagata of infinite life and boundless light...

No, no Buddhism! No Buddhism!

R! I mean, not-R.

You're about to be killed.

When he's done, they'll blindfold you and make stand you there.

They'll noose up your neck and flip a switch, and the trapdoor will open.

Your body will swing back and forth.

The noose will choke you. You'll stop breathing and die.

Do you want to be killed? Do you accept that?

Just say oui or non.

Non!

O Lord, not-R says he doesn't want to die!

I thought you understood everything!

You're the poor young Korean.

You raped and killed two girls.

That's you! You're R!

What happened to that R person?

You idiot!

You're a shameless coward,

trying to escape punishment for your crimes!

You sent the victim's comb to her family.

You bragged to the newspapers and police!

You called perfect crimes an art! You felt no remorse!

You have no conscience!

You're a vicious fiend, a cold-blooded animal!

You call yourself human?

Are you saying I'm R?

That's exactly what I'm saying!

Really?

I don't feel I'm R at all.

Yet you all seem so convinced I am,

so maybe it's true.

Still, I just can't believe it.

Maybe if I tried to do the things you all acted out...

R TRIES TO BE R

Yes, right there!

There's a door. You open it.

You're home from the factory, and you're hungry.

Got that? Go ahead.

Your parents, younger brother, and three sisters

have eaten all the food.

Now...

get mad.

Get mad!

This isn't what I expected.

Your elder brother comes bursting in,

hungry and penniless after being gone for three days.

Why's everyone lookin' so glum?

I come home after three days and nothing's changed.

Anything to eat? - Of course not.

Are you disrespecting me?

R, get angry! Say, "Brother!"

You see a few grains of rice left in the pot.

R, lunge for it!

Stop it!

Have you gone crazy?

Don't act big when you come home broke!

You little brat!

Hey, don't forget you're Korean.

Act more Korean, more over the top.

This is when R joins in!

What a hopeless mess.

Who'll mop up the urine?

The mother ought to do it. If you would, Warden.

Your balls are gonna swell up for pissing on me!

Why, you!

Stop it.

Don't be so wishy-washy! Louder!

Stop it.

Acting big 'cause you go to high school?

It's only part-time anyway.

I won't stay in a house like this!

I shall now exit the stage. Please carry on with your roles.

- You brat! - Don't get upset over little things.

- Quit lecturing me! - Save some money to bring home.

That's right! Hit him back!

Father, step in and help the older brother.

Koreans are strict Confucianists. Elders are always right. Go!

R, stop it.

Son of a bitch!

- What the hell are you doing? - He was —

You never defy your elders. Understand?

It's very important.

I thought what matters is whether we can survive or not.

- You dare defy me, you little shit? - I'm not!

How can we go on living?

What do we do now?

How do we raise the children?

They're still little.

That's right! You're R!

Answer me, Pop.

I'm 60. I've already worked too much.

I got fooled by a flyer offering railroad jobs

and came to Japan in 1918,

worked in an undersea mine for two years,

then escaped and came to Tokyo. That was 40 years ago.

I lived through the great earthquake, then the war.

So many things have happened.

My working days are over.

I'll drink and do what I like until I go join Christ.

You have nothing to complain about.

While you drink, they have no food, only water.

They have constant diarrhea.

Shut up, you dumb kid!

The Changbai Mountains dyed red with blood

Red blood flows from bank to bank of the Yalu River

His glorious name forever Kim Il-Sung

Stop it! You'll ruin everything!

Get out!

Now the mother intervenes. Come on!

Quick!

Come on, break it up.

The father leaves, the mother cries.

Warden, the mother is mute.

Do one of those typical Korean wails.

That's not a toilet. That's for the execution.

What is it?

What are you doing?

It's a roundworm.

He ate it! He ate the roundworm!

R was more hygienic than that! Stop it!

Let's do a different scene.

Enough inside the home. Let's move on to Komatsugawa.

So my part is over, right?

- Don't we continue the last scene? - I guess you're right.

Let's have R talking with his sisters.

Now start.

- What is it? - Um, brother —

Ask him for money or something.

- Brother, give me money. - What for?

Um, uh... for the field trip.

You want to go? Then I'll take you there.

Close your eyes.

Now walk.

We get off the bus at Shinkoiwa station.

There are fruit vendors to the left

and a police box behind us.

We buy our tickets and go up the stairs.

Careful.

We get on the train.

We pass Hirai, Kameido,

Kinshicho, Ryogoku,

Asakusabashi, Akihabara.

Where shall we go? - The zoo.

Okay, let's transfer to the train for Ueno.

Now we're at the zoo.

Can you see your favorite animals?

No, my eyes are closed.

Okay, then let's go somewhere that's nowhere.

- Somewhere that's nowhere? - That's right.

You can open your eyes now.

We're walking along a pretty boulevard.

There's a big bookstore to our right,

a charming fruit shop,

and a soba restaurant.

- Is there a supermarket? - There's everything here.

But we have no money.

But you see, here you can take anything you want for free.

Nobody's minding the shops?

That's right.

That's the first street. The next street is all houses.

Everyone lives in grand houses. - Do they have stereos?

Yes, and TVs and refrigerators. Houses like that all down the street.

Our house is

the third on the right.

It has a veranda on the second floor.

You're on the veranda in a beautiful kimono.

But I'm right here.

There's another you,

and she's standing on the veranda.

That's strange.

Isn't this fun?

It isn't fun at all.

Enough. This is all beside the point.

It's time for you to leave the house.

R, go outside!

It's a hot summer evening. You're hungry.

Not many places to go, not even a friend's place.

You want to go to a pool, but you only have, um...

55 yen!

You wish you could meet a girl somewhere.

You met that lady cook the other day,

and you hope something like that will happen today.

A woman who'll buy you a meal

and take you to an inn.

That's what you're imagining...

imagining...

imagining!

Of course, it isn't easy to find a woman like that.

What can you do? You see a pretty woman.

You'd like to imagine her naked and pleasure yourself,

but you can't do that at home.

You could do it in a deserted place like this

and then go back.

But unfortunately you didn't do that.

If you'd masturbated here, you wouldn't have committed that crime.

Let's go to the station. There might be a pretty girl there.

Oh, she has nice breasts! Look at them jiggle!

A nice, tight ass. Lookin' good!

It'd be nice to sleep with her.

KEEP YOUR HOME DECENT PUT OFFENSIVE BOOKS IN HERE

HELP YOURSELF TO SMALL CHANGE

You have to insert a coin, you fool!

Hello?

It's been a long time.

Is Sachiko in?

Yes! Just like that!

No one by that name lives there?

That's odd.

I see.

Sorry to bother you.

She's pretty old!

So you like older women?

Not a bad idea.

You wanna be a young gigolo.

Sex and money! Kill two birds with one stone!

Now's the time to talk to her, but you can't.

You can't even talk to women! You tormented boy!

You speed up, but your knees wobble.

You aren't comfortable around women.

Excuse me, please.

How do I get to Komatsugawa High School?

I'm a stranger here myself.

I see. I'm a student there.

You couldn't say what you wanted to.

You dared to speak to her, but it ended in humiliation.

"I can't do anything!"

So you run and run and run.

But soon you tire of running.

Yeah, that's enough. You stop.

I said stop!

Come on, stop!

Shaved ice tastes great after running.

But you've gotta eat fast and continue on.

Shaved ice doesn't fill you up. Your stomach feels empty.

You feel like you're chewing sand.

- Some water, please. - Let's go.

Oh, now I see!

You had your eye on her!

Unrequited love!

You rush to the gate of Komatsugawa High School, scene of the crime.

You're drawn to the fatal place as if by a mysterious force.

There we go.

You start feeling an irresistible urge.

You're not yet sure yourself what it is,

but it's a precursor of lust.

It's not yet 6:00 p.m.,

but men and women are already doing it somewhere.

Yet here you are, sitting by yourself.

You're suddenly overcome.

Up to the roof!

Quick! Up the fatal steps!

Hurry!

It's forbidden to go up on the roof.

In this school it's forbidden to go up on the roof.

She's not here. What's going on?

There she is! You stare at her.

You undress her in your mind.

Her skin is soft. You feel a surge of lust.

Not so fast! It's a mistake to do that

before desire has overcome you!

What are you doing?

This is a joke, right?

That knife wouldn't kill anyone!

Don't hesitate! Someone's coming!

Quick!

Quick! Quick!

Someone's coming! You can hear footsteps!

When she comes to and sees your face, all hell will break loose!

All right. That should do it.

This is what you did.

Now you can do whatever you want with her body.

So now...

Someone saw me! Oh, no!

Warden! Security Chief! Help me hide her!

Hurry up!

R IS VINDICATED BECAUSE HE'S KOREAN

Am I getting the death sentence?

You gonna hang me with that?

What are you talking about?

I didn't mean to kill her! I was just pretending!

She's dead!

I didn't mean to, really. Please help me!

Dead? What are you talking about?

There!

Education Chief, are you in your right mind?

There's nothing there.

Right there!

Right there! Take her away!

Are you saying

you see the body of the woman you were imagining for us?

Right there!

There's nothing there.

You can't see her?

Look, I'm touching her foot!

And her hand — yikes, it's cold!

Security Chief, go splash some water on his face.

You can see her, right? The warden's kind of old, but —

Let's go.

How about you?

I'm not a psychiatrist.

Chaplain?

Mr. Clerk!

I'm sure the prosecutor can't see her either.

He's looking at her!

You can see her, right?

Thank goodness! I thought I was going crazy.

But R, what shall I do?

I killed her!

They'll execute me! What shall I do?

It's questionable asking you for advice, but they'll execute me, right?

Education Chief, you're dreaming.

No one's going to kill you.

Dreaming?

It's a dream!

No, it isn't. She's right there!

Who? Where?

Look carefully! Open your eyes wide!

Right there!

All I see is the concrete floor.

Then I'll make you touch her!

I feel her!

I can see her now.

You can?

R, you and I and the education chief can see her.

What on earth is happening? Are we dreaming?

Perhaps.

Different people can't dream the same thing.

But we were imagining the same thing.

If you imagine something, does it appear in reality?

Yes, if you imagine it as though it were real.

So it's simply because they didn't imagine it as real?

Warden, did you hear that?

Stop this!

We didn't imagine the crime to start babbling like lunatics

but to get R to acknowledge that he's R!

R, you're R. You admit that, right?

- I'm still imagining. - Cut it out, now!

You are R!

If I must answer,

I do feel a little like R.

But I'm far from feeling I really am him.

Let's imagine some more — - What?

The fantasy ended when you killed her.

I was kind enough to let you replay your entire life.

We've gotten to the core of your crimes.

But I feel something's still missing.

What's missing?

For me to really be R.

Education Chief!

- You see her? I knew you — - You idiot!

What the hell have you done!

You're the education chief!

I was overzealous in my duties!

This is no time for excuses!

Hurry and clear that away!

What are you doing?

Sycophants! Don't listen to a warden who's gone mad.

Gone mad? If you can't see her, what do you know?

- You all see her, right? - We saw her from the start!

Banzai!

Wait!

If we take her out, the whole prison will know what I've done!

Warden, everybody...

could I ask all of you to keep this a secret?

I guess that's impossible, huh?

I guess I'll be hanged.

Why'd you let me kill you so easily?

Come back to life, please.

I'm begging you! Do me the favor of a lifetime!

She's warm!

She's not dead! She's alive!

Wake up! Get up!

Thank you!

I'll get my pension after all! Warden!

Please go home and keep quiet about this.

Ordinary citizens aren't allowed in here.

R, it's been ages!

Elder sister.

R, don't get confused!

You didn't have an elder sister!

- Elder sister? - That's right. I came to see you.

I should never have brought her back to life!

If she's his elder sister, then R isn't R.

But she calls him R, and he responds.

I'm all mixed up. What about you guys?

Who understands the ravings of a madman?

I understand. I can see her right there.

Merely a personal opinion, of course.

Sister, am I R?

The R you knew?

Yes, you're the Korean called R.

You used to be called by the Japanese name Shizuo K,

but once you awakened to your racial identity,

you began to send me letters

signed "R" in Hangul script.

That's right! Warden, isn't this good news?

Miss, I don't know who you are, but I thank you.

Now, if you'd help us carry out the execution

without further incident —

I oppose capital punishment!

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Please excuse me.

R, it's not right for you to die.

You must live, and better yourself, and atone for your sins.

Are you mocking me? Cut out this crap!

Her words are dangerous! I can't listen!

Her words? What can a nonexistent person say?

She said, "Better yourself, and atone for your sins."

Tell me exactly what else she says, since you can see her.

Chaplain, give me the highlights of what she's saying.

But first I have to be sure I'm really R.

What?

You called me your sister, so you must be R.

That's right! You're R!

Listen to your sister!

May I touch your hand?

If I can know you, perhaps I'll know myself.

- R just touched her. - Where?

His hand is gliding over her white skin.

She's starting to get goose bumps!

"Whosoever lusteth after a woman

hath committed adultery with her in his heart."

Is that what she's saying?

Those were Jesus's words.

The Lord too worried about problems of lust and the imagination.

R...

you're touching Korean skin.

The long, painful history of our race has been etched onto this skin.

The women of a race feel its sadness most deeply.

In southern Korea, where we're from,

they say there are no women

my age or older whose skin isn't scarred.

Slapped by fathers, beaten by husbands,

some tried to kill themselves by slitting their throats or wrists.

"For 5,000 years the Korean people have endured

foreign aggression and rule,

most recently the exploitation and carnage

of 36 years of Japanese imperialism."

What did he do with his hand next?

Gently it strokes and stops, strokes and stops.

She's saying all this because she's turned on.

Sister.

You remember now?

You remember your mother? Eomeoni means "mother."

I feel...

I'm feeling...

Oh, my head...

How do you feel?

Like I'm going to throw up.

Lay your head on me.

She's just what I suspected! His head is on her knees.

No, higher than that!

I see her now!

Now only the prosecutor and I can't see her.

R, may I speak?

Yeah. If I hear more of what you have to say...

I might feel better.

"Like the fugitive Cain,

his sadness has lasted forever.

He will endure these hardships, even if they make a beast of him."

A poet of your homeland, Yu Chi-hwan, wrote that.

I remember that poem whenever I see your father's face.

I visited your home.

I noticed the grapevine trellis in the garden for the first time.

Massive bunches of grapes, glowing green

and hanging in the purple light of dusk.

Try to remember.

You graduated from junior high

and worked days in the factory.

But you wanted to study, so you'd just entered night school.

A young Korean in Japan.

We've already acted out that part!

Just make R realize he was sent here to be executed.

He has to admit his guilt and die with honor.

One must live to atone for one's sins.

R isn't who he was at 18.

He finally has his racial identity back.

She says that R will work tirelessly

for the reunification and prosperity of his homeland.

He'll do his part for a bright new age of solidarity between Japan and Korea

and will thus atone for his crimes.

And so forth.

I'm relaying it as accurately as possible.

Young lady...

would you mind giving your speeches in a public hall or something?

R's fate has already been decided by the law.

A different outcome is not his to choose.

Reunifying Korea is all well and good, but the law —

You're talking about Japanese law.

Of course. R committed his crimes in Japan.

As a Korean! R didn't ask to be born in Japan.

No Korean would ever ask to be born in Japan!

His father was brought to Japan by force.

We've covered that part to death.

We also covered his mother's muteness.

You Japanese will never understand

how Koreans in Japan feel!

R's crimes are a product of Japan's imperialism!

Japan has no right to punish him.

Then it would follow

that all 600,000 Koreans in Japan must commit murder.

If, like R, they each killed two Japanese,

we'd have 1.2 million fewer people, and overcrowding would be eased.

Japan doesn't have enough execution chambers for that!

Aren't you making some leaps in logic?

Warden, what are we waiting for? This is an execution chamber.

It's no place to be debating with a woman who may or may not exist.

If you can see her, security rules dictate she be removed at once.

I'll leave, but I'm taking R with me.

R, we'll work together to reunify our country.

Come. Let's go.

Using sex appeal for reunification is common these days.

No, sex comes first!

The sinful howl about politics to hide that!

- Tell me what's happening. - It's getting good.

Too bad you can't see.

How rude! The prosecutor can't see her either.

I still can't see her.

Does that mean I'm not fit for my job?

- Can you stand up? - Yes.

Will you follow me?

Why don't you answer?

You said you would during our meetings and in your letters.

I may have, but I don't remember very well.

Then what now?

I don't feel what you're describing fits R very well.

I'm trying as hard as I can to think as he does.

Have you lost the will to fight for your homeland's reunification?

- That's not who R is. - Since when? When did R change?

R isn't like that! You're no longer the Korean R.

I've been saying that all along.

You're pretty smart for a woman.

Who are you? What right do you have to talk like this?

I'm a Korean in Japan.

I'm sad and angry that he's become like this.

R, you're no longer R.

You've lost R's spirit!

You've lost the Korean spirit!

You're a criminal! A murderer!

No, you haven't even committed a crime.

You haven't committed a crime at all. It's impossible.

After the real R committed his crime,

he made phone calls daring all of Japan to come get him.

What do you think of that?

That was the crime of a Korean.

It was a dark, repugnant crime, but the only way for oppressed Koreans

to pay the Japanese back

for the Korean blood they've spilled,

the blood of countless Koreans killed in Japan's name.

But we who have no nation must spill Japanese blood

with our own hands.

Yes, it's a crime! It's warped!

But even such a crime

is an undiluted expression of the pride and sadness of the Korean people.

R! You're the one who carried out such crimes, aren't you?

Answer me!

Your description of R is drifting further from the mark.

If he's who you say he is,

then I feel I'm not him after all.

Who did this to him?

It was all of you! Your turned R into not-R!

What?

We've been sweating away trying to make him think he's R.

I tried so hard I — Well, I didn't kill her, but I —

That's a lie! This isn't R. He's not Korean.

As a Korean, I refuse to recognize him as R!

I've been saying all along he's not R!

Just shut up!

Warden, let's execute R! - Execute him!

You made R forget he's R. You made him forget his race.

You made him forget he's Korean!

That's how Japanese imperialism works!

Twenty years after the war's end, nothing's changed!

That's especially true of you officials,

you tools of state power, you murderous dogs! Isn't it?

Fine. If you say so, let's execute him.

But simply hanging him now after all this

might leave a bad aftertaste.

Execute him! I'll watch.

Wait!

Where'd you come from!

So you can see her now?

This... she... she's crying.

I can even hear her crying!

Prosecutor, am I still fit for this job?

She's clinging to the security chief's leg and weeping.

The execution is delayed.

But per Article 447, Paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code,

no one may enter here without permission from you or the warden.

Can she be considered to have permission?

I can't give permission to someone I can't see, so no.

If she's interfering with the execution, you may liquidate her.

- Liquidate her? - That's right.

As ordered!

R FINALLY BECOMES R

What's the first trick?

See how it glimmers, my ding-a-ling-ling

Ding-a-ling-ling

What's the second trick?

Chaplain, come dance with us.

What are you doing? That's disgusting!

It's not often you see the chaplain drink.

But we all get worked up on execution days, don't we?

Okay, buddy, okay.

Let's change the subject.

There's an empty glass!

We're going to get falling-down drunk tonight.

- Here you go, Security Chief. - Thank you.

Is this a dream?

No.

The poon you screw alone is called "jerking-off poon"

It leaves a mess on your hands

Chaplain, I didn't know you were into that!

Cut it out, you fool!

Well, it's good to cut loose a little!

Hey, Mr. Prosecutor, Mr. Clerk...

I've been thinking:

Wouldn't it be best for a civilized country

to abolish capital punishment?

Just a personal opinion, mind you.

Mr. Clerk, what do you think?

This is the first I've heard of it from you.

I haven't studied the issue sufficiently,

so I would defer to you who work here.

So you're a dog tonight. Lick away.

Warden, you've won fame and success as a correctional officer.

You'll soon be comfortably retired,

so perhaps it's different for you,

but those of us who will be here

doing this job for many years to come

can't help but think seriously about it.

You make it sound like I hang people

without a second thought.

Come now, Warden.

Security Chief, what were you thinking?

Well, who knows?

There may be those among us who kill without a second thought.

The doctor actually seems to enjoy it.

I don't dislike hangings. You know... like this!

- Are you my sister? - Yes. You are R.

You're my sister, and I'm R.

Am I really R after all?

This isn't a dream, right?

Right. This is real.

"It's him. He's the one who killed Pierre!"

I've never executed a foreigner. Koreans excepted, of course.

It was me. She said that to me.

February 23, 1946.

I was about to get on the boat to be repatriated.

"Saigon Harbor was bathed in a beautiful sunset" — what a laugh!

"Non, je ne sais pas, non!"

But the old woman kept pointing at me.

"You killed Pierre. You killed a POW!"

But I didn't kill him!

Today's not a good day to talk about this.

Give us all the details another day.

I can't stop now!

I was locked up for 3 1/2 years as a result.

If that wouldn't mess up your life, I'd like to know what would!

I didn't kill him, but she kept saying,

"You killed Pierre! You murderer! You criminal!"

Every day and night in that cell, I had to keep asking myself.

Under those circumstances,

our disbanded army couldn't help me — not even His Imperial Majesty!

For a time after the war, nobody could help anyone.

It was you!

One day you put your hand on my shoulder.

"Won't you come help treat our poor prisoners?" you asked.

You liar!

All I do here is feel their pulse...

as it slowly dies away and stops!

I thought I included that in the job description.

I remember we were drinking that day,

and I explained everything.

That night I went home drunk.

My girl came to visit me, as always.

I told her I would now attend to the executed

and verify that they'd died.

I told her I'd make three times the salary!

At the time, I was a licensed doctor working as a salesman.

She never came back.

Since then, 29 girls have left!

Don't talk to the prosecutor like that!

Why not?

I'm a technician upholding Japanese law.

"Technician"! What a laugh!

But the ladies don't laugh.

They cry, get angry,

become speechless, and then run away!

A girl's waiting for me now.

We met at a club, stayed at an inn a few times.

So what's the problem, Doc?

Go home and just do the deed.

Because I talk while I'm doing the deed!

"The trapdoor opened, and he swung back and forth!"

That's usually when the girl runs away.

I only feel like calling the girls

the night after an execution,

so I guess it's not surprising.

I understand.

So you oppose capital punishment too.

I'm for it!

I do this job because I like it. I love it. I chose it.

I'd go to North Korea, the Philippines, Saigon —

- Shut up! You're insane! - Death by hanging!

You're caressing my chest.

Every touch makes me tremble.

This isn't a dream. It's real.

But somehow it seems like a dream.

Dreams seem real,

and reality seems like a dream.

Such things happen, right?

Are you confusing dreams and reality?

That's a bad habit of yours, isn't it?

Perhaps it's a bad habit...

pleasuring myself while imagining a girl.

For example...

I look at photos of actresses in swimsuits.

At first I'm stimulated.

But in the end she's always just a photo.

I imagine pulling at her swimsuit, then tearing it off.

I start seeking more unusual thrills.

But my actions are always the same.

Only my imagination is expanding, transforming.

How does it expand?

Doesn't sexual desire arise from the mind rather than the body?

The body has limits, but the mind doesn't.

People have had sex with chickens and cows.

There was a man who made love to his wife every day

and then for no good reason raped and killed an acquaintance.

R!

The imagination expands without end.

I imagine the girls in the photos doing all sorts of things...

rejecting me...

or seducing me...

and I also imagine...

killing them.

Stop it!

Why didn't you have a relationship with a real woman

before it went that far?

I stabbed the education chief first.

I plunged the dagger into your heart!

Blood gushed out,

and in that moment somehow I too was stabbed.

You fell toward me, and I caught and embraced you.

We collapsed together.

Your body felt so heavy on mine...

as if you were the earth itself.

Then I woke up. It was a dream.

But there was something cold on my hands — thick blood.

No, just night sweat.

It happens every night.

I'm sorry.

I spoke of finding a real woman,

but you were so poor, and you were Korean.

The only women were those in your imagination.

I'd been living in my imagination since I was little.

I wanted to ask for sweets

and nice clothes...

but you can't ask for such things.

When you're old enough to understand, you learn to give up.

But in your mind you never give up.

In your imagination you can eat sweets,

wear nice clothes, and be happy.

So when I was old enough to feel sexual desire,

it seemed completely natural simply to imagine its fulfillment.

Of course...

you aren't always satisfied just by what you imagine.

I would follow girls.

I would steal.

But those things

would spur my imagination, make it swell.

Actually...

I did those small things

because I wanted bigger, newer dreams.

Earlier, when I tried being R,

I was certain I remembered doing those things.

But whether I did them in my imagination or in reality

wasn't really clear.

The reason is

I'd committed crimes like that in my imagination countless times.

But why imagine crimes... things that lead to no better future?

When people are most oppressed,

they long for the brightest of lights.

Such people may exist.

But I was different.

Even the realistic scenes I imagined were always warped.

Maybe that's because everything I'd been imagining

was warped to begin with.

As I commit those crimes again and again in my mind,

I begin to feel something like confidence.

For example...

I'd imagine a girl on a bike, and how I'd rape her.

I'd imagine it over and over again.

Then I'd see a girl just like I'd imagined, riding toward me.

It's exactly as I imagined it.

My confidence starts to grow.

But she's coming from the left.

I thought I'd imagined her coming from the right.

I hesitate a bit.

If she doesn't go to the right...

then this is neither imagination nor reality.

At that moment I don't feel lust or anything at all.

I just want reality and fantasy to be one,

which is a kind of desire, I guess.

As long as she doesn't go to the right, I can stop.

But then my body moves as if by itself,

so that she's headed to the right.

Now the real and the imaginary are one.

Now there's no mistake.

I feel confident again.

I reach out, just as I'd imagined.

I wrap my hands around her neck, and we both fall.

This must be a dream:

It's just like what I do in my dreams.

Fifteen, 20 people lined up,

mowed down with a machine gun.

I've seen things like that.

That night I was hard as a rock.

But I still wrote a cool, dispassionate report

to send back to the mainland.

"Enemy casualties: 50 dead."

You saw it?

Don't whitewash it! You killed them!

Of course I did.

I remember the first seven, but then it gets hazy.

There's nothing to it. - What did you feel?

Nothing.

I had a gun.

If you have a gun, you kill.

Now I remember: I was fighting a war.

Japan was fighting a war!

I was called a war criminal because of fuckers like you!

The warden killed people for his country.

You were tried as a war criminal, also for your country.

For your country

Thank you, soldiers

For fighting for your country

I don't really understand how crimes can feel

like nothing more than events in a dream.

I do something...

I do it just as I imagined,

then I imagine it again.

And so those people,

the people I killed,

don't seem like real people.

It's as if...

they can only appear in my mind covered by a veil.

I wonder why.

Sister, I met you at moments like that.

You did?

Yes, I did.

Sister, I really did meet you, didn't I?

Yes, R.

R?

Yes, sister...

I met you at moments like that.

At some point I became very fond of you.

One day you popped into my head,

and I suddenly began to worry about you.

Your foot was injured at the time,

but you still came to visit us.

You accidentally got off the bus one stop before ours...

so you had to walk.

It was a dangerous neighborhood,

with lots of criminals like me.

What if something happened to you?

I suddenly felt as if somebody had clutched my beating heart.

What would I do if you were raped and killed,

as those others had been by me?

My chest felt tight all day.

My heart was pounding.

Day turned to night.

Suddenly...

I remembered my victims, and it felt like a blow to the stomach.

The girls I killed...

are gone now...

because of me.

Speaking of fighting for one's country, you gotta feel sorry for the Koreans.

The guy today was pretty tough for a Korean —

Oh, sorry, we're not talking about today's job!

Koreans are vile-tempered scum! We should kill 'em all!

- There are 600,000 in Japan. - So? Just round 'em up.

"Japan doesn't have enough execution chambers for that!"

When you're promoted —

I'm talking about Korean communism. It's our problem too!

There's a red flag in Busan.

I think about it sometimes.

The Japanese have mistreated the Koreans for a long time.

When that flag is unfurled,

they'll strike back with a vengeance

and commit every possible atrocity to release their pent-up resentment.

All our women will be raped, of course,

but before that, guys like me will be the first to be killed.

Mr. Prosecutor, you haven't said anything.

What are your thoughts?

Many older people harbor the same fear.

Are you disagreeing with me?

It's just that those of us in the judiciary

aren't in the habit of thinking about tensions between nations.

How can you say that?

You're gunning for the Supreme Court and to be Minister of Justice!

Don't be silly.

He'll succeed precisely because he doesn't think.

He'll do just fine.

Come now. Let's all do our best for our country.

- By killing people. - That's right.

A lot has happened today,

but I've learned one thing from listening to you.

Executing a criminal is patriotic, as is killing in battle.

So capital punishment and war are the same thing.

We reluctantly do this job as our duty,

but we're against capital punishment and war.

Let's pray that capital punishment and war

come to an end as soon as possible.

All agreed?

Please continue, Mr. Prosecutor. - Yes, let's toast to that.

Chaplain, please make the toast.

Get up, you! It's time for a toast!

Drink not the evil wine.

We sinners must all pray to the Lord.

Cheers!

Sister, don't cry.

I'm actually the one who's crying,

while you comfort me.

That's how I imagined it.

"I've come to love my sister.

Why do I superimpose my dear sister on my victims?

When I imagined the death of someone I loved,

the true meaning of death hit me for the very first time.

I killed two human beings.

When I fell in love with my sister,

the world in my heart

was no longer limited just to my imagination.

I guess it became a world other people could enter.

My victims,

whom I could only imagine as if veiled in a dream,

now sometimes appear vividly before me.

I can practically feel them.

After falling in love with my sister,

I began to imagine not only the people I killed,

but also my own actions, and my very self, more vividly."

You've spent your youth in a dream,

but now you can face reality:

You're a young Korean man in Japan.

I decided then that I didn't mind dying.

That's right! Let the old R die

and the new, reborn R live in the world of reality.

But it was living in reality that made me kill.

R!

I know now who I am, and what the world is.

- We might fall over! - Don't worry, we won't.

- What if I tickle you? - No, stop!

Let's fall over!

FOR THE SAKE OF EVERY R...

R ACCEPTS BEING R

Now I understand.

I am R.

Banzai! This job isn't so bad. This is what I live for!

You admit you're R?

More discussion will only make him doubt it again.

Please let me proceed with his execution.

Very well. Proceed. You accept this, right?

I don't believe I should be executed.

Another turnaround!

Let me retire now!

You shouldn't be executed? Why not?

I am certainly R,

but not the kind of R you've been imagining.

Yes, keep God out of this, or we'll have another not-R!

No, I'm the R who did those things.

That much is certain.

But —

You don't feel guilty?

I don't feel guilty.

You have some nerve!

You were convicted of everything!

You say that R is guilty,

but that R is a different person from me.

Thanks to all your efforts,

that's become abundantly clear.

"The defendant is condemned to death."

"I feel carnal desire.

It's dark. Nobody's around.

I decide to rape her."

I didn't do any of this.

"I hear a noise and think somebody is coming.

Fearing she would identify me,

I killed her,

and then decided to satisfy my desires by raping her."

But I didn't.

That's a pack of lies! You did this!

No, that R is not me.

Listen, court decisions are written down

using certain set phrases.

"Carnal desire" and "rape"

may not be a perfect fit, but here's what matters:

You killed two young women. That's a fact.

Yes...

I admit that.

Thank goodness!

You did the worst thing possible. So isn't execution warranted?

Is it evil to kill another person?

Yes, it is evil. Yet you feel no remorse.

So it is evil?

Then killing me is also evil, isn't it?

I've had enough!

I may be education chief, but postwar education is to blame for this nonsense!

But he has a point.

If we kill a murderer, we become murderers.

Then we're killed, and those who kill us are murderers... and so on.

Show a little more discretion!

We're not murderers. We represent the law.

We aren't killing you. The nation simply can't allow you to live.

I don't accept that.

What is a nation?

Show me one.

I refuse to be killed by something that's invisible.

The prosecutor and all of us are the nation.

Then you are my murderers?

No, I'm just the security chief.

I just play my part and uphold the law.

I'm not the whole.

Then who is?

Warden, are you the whole?

No, I just reluctantly play a part in the top position here.

Mr. Prosecutor?

Let's just say you're the whole.

If you kill me, the crime is yours.

The next prosecutor will kill you,

and he'll be killed in turn,

until there's nobody left in Japan.

We call all this pettifogging.

You could have been a lawyer — a crooked one!

I killed two human beings.

But not the way the judgment says I did.

You all say I'm guilty.

You want me condemned to death. You want to kill me.

Enough. Stop this now.

Am I wrong in my thinking?

So you think you're not guilty?

That's right.

Very well.

As long as you believe you're not guilty, you're not.

The sentence is vacated. - Sir, if this gets out —

R, you're not guilty.

You're free to go.

Go.

What's the matter, R?

You stopped. You can't leave.

Have you seen God? You have...

so you feel guilt.

Earlier, having survived your death, you weren't human.

But now —

Do you understand why you stopped?

You were about to step out into the nation.

Where you're standing is also the nation.

You said the nation was invisible.

But now you see it.

Now you know it.

The nation is in your mind,

and as long is it's there, you feel guilt.

A moment ago you realized you should be executed.

The prosecutor's a brilliant man!

I've been education chief a long time,

and I've never seen such a great prosecutor!

You could be attorney general, or even prime minister!

Japan's future is bright!

Though I may not live to see it.

Wait!

Just a minute!

R, you're lucky to have met such a great prosecutor.

Tell us how you will now calmly face death.

It'll be a comfort to those who follow.

Something like The clear, pale-green sky above...

Or maybe just, "Give my best to my father and mother."

- I'm not guilty. - No retractions!

For a time I thought maybe somehow I was guilty.

But I remain innocent.

As long as an entity exists that tries to make me guilty —

as long as the nation exists — I'm innocent.

That's right. You understand now, don't you?

We cannot allow you to keep such ideas alive.

I know.

That's why I accept my fate.

For the sake of every R, including all of you,

I will consent to being R...

and die.

Warden, good work today.

You discharged your duties with aplomb.

Education Chief, the same goes for you.

You too, Security Chief.

And you...

and you...

and you...

and you.

And you who've watched this film.