In 17th century Japan a destitute samurai arrives at the estate of a powerful clan requesting permission to commit ritual suicide. Expecting a bluff, the clan elders recount a recent case intended as a warning. As the man calmly insists on proceeding, his story unfolds, revealing a far more disturbing truth. Masaki Kobayashi’s Harakiri is a devastating critique of the samurai code and the cruelty hidden beneath rigid ideas of honour and obedience. Told through controlled performances, stark black-and-white cinematography, and an exacting narrative structure, the film strips away romantic myths to deliver one of the most powerful moral statements in Japanese cinema.