Bertolucci's La Commare Secca is something of a neo-realist Rashomon. It's neo-realistic aspects, however, are what define it more than the alternative perspectives. Here, Bertolucci isn't quite as concerned with the truth of the matter as he is with revealing the state of contemporary Italian society. I have to admit I was surprised that he reveals "whodunnit" at all.
After a prostitute is found beaten to death, police cross-examine all of the people who were in the nearby park for evidence. Each of their stories spans the trials and tribulations of day to day life in Italy. The investigators are never really shown because the investigation isn't important--the cross-examination of the characters is. We're meant to look at them, not at the details of the murder.
I think the best part is how Bertolucci changes perspective with the camera as well as the characters. Each characters' story is told in subtly different styles; plus, the reveal of the truth is signified with three sudden, striking, static shots of the unfolding narrative from a distance, showing that no longer are we bound to any one perspective but to a more objective one. Better than an overhead perspective to signify God: that would have been too kitsch.
--PolarisDiB
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