NekoHomey
Purely Joyful Movie!
Sanjeev Waters
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Brenda
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
sol-
Sent to an ashram (commune) for widows as per Hindu tradition after her husband passes away, a child bride resists and rebels in this Canada/India co-production set during the 1930s. There are some excellent tracking shots as she scurries back and forth through the commune where she finds herself at odds to the other much older widows living there and the atmospheric music by Mychael Danna and A.R. Rahman is great. A pivotal plot turn occurs as the child bride finds a twenty-something lady living in isolation in the commune. The child soon takes it upon herself to help the young woman find romance again (forbidden as it is by their religion); after all, if she can get the young lady to find love again, maybe everything is not hopeless for her. Fascinating a slice of life as 'Water' might spin, the film spends a little too long on the young lady's love affair for its own good. The power of the movie comes from everything being told from the child's perspective with all the hopes and dreams that a youngster still has, as well as all the questioning of traditions and customs that she does not understand. A brief appearance by Gandhi also feels a tad distracting. When the film focuses on the child bride, it is thoroughly encapsulating to view. Sarala Kariyawasam is simply excellent as the young girl in question with a constantly unbroken spirit that is inspiring to view.
SnoopyStyle
It's 1938 India. Seven year old Chuyia is sent by her family to live in pious poverty in a Hindu ashram for widows after her husband dies. The ashram is run by dictatorial Madhumati. Gulabi works with Madhumati to pimp out Kalyani (Lisa Ray). Narayan is a young follower of Mahatma Gandhi who falls for Kalyani. Shakuntala is the only one who can stand up to Madhumati. She's literate and conflicted about her faith.This is an exotic slice of a foreign world in a specific time. I don't want to hate on a child actor but centering the movie on the girl may be too much on her. This reminds me of a prison movie. This is a prison build by religion and traditions. I want more tension from the situation but it is a very fascinating world.
Andrew Horn
Water by Deepha Mehta is the third film in a trilogy about India. Earth is about the partition of India and Pakistan. Fire was about lesbianism among traditional Indian Women. While shooting for the movie "Water" the sets of the movie were destroyed they had to move the entire production to Sri Lanka. The movie Water is set in 1938 while India is still under British rule. Chuyia, a seven-year old girl who just lost her husband, is sent to an ashram for Hindu widows to spend the rest of her life in renunciation. The ashram is owned by Madhumati and she has a business with a pimp named Gulabi to prostitute Kalyani and fellow widow at the Ashram. Chuyia does not know that according to Holy Hindu Scriptures she has been destined to live here for the rest of her life, for when a woman's husband dies', she has three options: One, to marry her husband's younger brother, if his family permits; two, to kill herself on his funeral pyre; three, to live a life of celibacy, discipline, and solitude amongst her own kind. Some elements of "Water" involve the young girl and the experiences seen through her eyes. It sees poverty and deprivation as a condition of life because for the majority of the Indian majority they live in a life of poverty and people just accept their unfortunate financial position. There is a general feeling that women can be thrown away. The widows in this film are treated as if they have no useful lives apart from their husbands. They are given life sentences. Just because they had the misfortune of having their husband passing away. Without reason these women are sentenced to a life they never wanted for something that wasn't their fault. This shows some of the flaws of Indian culture because they and other cultures do not value women as equal as men. This is an unfair unspoken law because women have to work just as hard as men and then some. I like the movie Water because I think it portrays Indian cultures and very well. It shows the undervalue of men and that even though they were colonized by the British and there is a remarriage law for widows. There have their own unspoken laws because nobody listens to that foreign law. I also like how they show the innocence of Chuyia and it provides a good, new perspective to the movie. 4/5 Stars.
Bear Mac Mathun
Water is set near the river through the city of Varansi.Chuyia, who is about 8 or 9 years when the man she married died, although she does not remember her him. Conforming to Hindu customs she is taken to a house of widows to live out her life - although she does not want to go.The house is dominated by two women - the fat domineering Madhumati and the strong, confident head of the house, Shakuntala. In the house, she also meets the beautiful Kalyani - who secretly owns a puppy which she shares with Chuyia. One day, the puppy runs of, and Chuyia runs in pursuit. Narayan catches the puppy and brings him back to Kalyani and is struck by her.Naryan comes from a very rich family and is becoming a lawyer, and is also a progressive and follower of Mohandas Gandhi. He wants India to modernise and to be freed from the traditions he thinks are backwards. So he is willing to break to taboos against widows.Thus, the romance between Kalyani and Narayan starts.Central to the film, are the problems and stigmata faced by the widows. Since they can't work, they must beg to survive. This is often not enough, so Madhumati pimps out the pretty widows to wealthy men in the city. And sometimes the girls being pimped out are very young.When Chuyia first meets Madhumati, she remarks that she was Chuyia's age when she first came to the house of widows. Later, remarks that her husband died when was first having sex with her - indicating that one of the problems is the sexual exploitation of children.There are many cultural and political reference that I was not able to understand. The cultural include the tree under which Kalyani and Narayan embrace.The political element is also very strong - the veneration of Mohandas Gandhi and the Congress Party as the saviours of India. There were also many religious references and comments that I did not understand, that made the film controversial. This is also given away by the quoting of statistics at the end of the film.The cinematography, the soundtrack and the acting were all brilliant. It was tightly directed and very well paced. Deepa Mehta has certainly shown her talents as a director, and I will endeavor to see more of her films.