Death by Hanging is a 1968 Japanese film directed by Nagisa Oshima. The movie tells the story of a young Korean man named R. who is sentenced to death in Japan for the rape and murder of two schoolgirls. However, on the day of his execution, the hangman botches the execution, and R. survives the hanging, leaving the authorities in a state of confusion.
The officials scramble to decide what to do next, as they have never encountered a situation like this before. They decide to reenact the crime to determine whether the condemned man is really guilty or not. To do this, the officials bring in actors to play the roles of the victims and R. is forced to participate in the reenactment.
As the reenactment progresses, the lines between reality and fiction become increasingly blurred. The officials become more and more invested in their roles, and the boundaries between the execution and the crime become indistinguishable. The movie explores themes of justice, identity, and power, questioning the nature of punishment and the way we construct narratives about crime.
The film is shot in a minimalist style, with long takes and static camera angles. The acting is naturalistic, and the film incorporates documentary-style footage of the Korean community in Japan. The movie was controversial when it was released, and was banned in some countries due to its depiction of capital punishment and its critique of Japanese society. Despite this, it has become a classic of Japanese cinema.