The Third Murder

三度目の殺人

Directed by: Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 / 124 minutes / Under 15s must be accompanied by an adult

Can a criminal lawyer find a singular truth within different people’s truths?

Screened as part of the JFF 2018.

The Third Murder is Cannes award-winning filmmaker Kore-eda’s first foray into the crime genre. The result is a subtle yet powerfully moving psychological thriller which follows Shigemori (Masaharu Fukuyama, Like Father Like Son), a lawyer struggling to find the truth in a deceptively straightforward murder-robbery case.

Shigemori is summoned to represent Misumi (Koji Yakusho, The Blood of Wolves) in a losing case. Misumi, a repeat offender, readily admits his guilt but is tight-lipped about anything else. Convinced that the truth lies deeper into the case, Shigemori gathers testimonies from more people. As he unearths different versions of the truth, the once confident Shigemori begins to doubt his own judgement and questions his faith in the law.

Internationally acclaimed Kore-eda directs powerful performances by Masaharu Fukuyama, Koji Yakusho, and Suzu Hirose (Rage, My Little Sister). The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival 2017 and went on to sweep awards at the Japanese Academy Awards 2018, including Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director.

74th Venice International Film Festival – Main Competition