Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Updates:

Water (2005)

Director: Deepa Mehta

Time Out rating

Average user rating

1 review

Movie review

From Time Out London

Benares/Varanasi, 1938. Following her husband’s death, wilful seven-year-old Chuyia (Sarala) is abandoned, kicking and screaming, at a widows’ ashram – and immediately silenced by the commanding Madhumati (Manorama, superbly menacing), mistress and madame of this impoverished, self-governing ‘prison’ of untouchables. Whether young, middle-aged or, like the cadaverous ‘auntie’, ancient, these widows are serving a virtual life sentence for innocent crimes against Hinduism’s harshest dictates. Naturally cheerful Chuyia is sustained by a precious, if delusional, belief in imminent rescue. But even that is threatened when beautiful ally Kalyani (Lisa Ray) begins an affair with handsome Brahmin’s son Narayan (John Abraham), leaving only devout Shakuntala (Seema Biswas, ‘Bandit Queen’) to offer friendship and hope in this living hell.

Made in Sri Lanka, this is the second version of the concluding part of Indian-born, Canadian-based Mehta’s ‘elements’ trilogy – a resurrection of the 2002 Indian production burned down by Hindu fundamentalists. Sumptuously shot (by Giles Nuttgens), earnest but engaging, its outrage and campaigning zeal are sufficiently tempered to allow the expression of individual portraits. Nor does the lovers’ eye-catching romance swamp what is, fundamentally, a microcosmic humanist study, replete with Ozu and Ray quotations. If its emotional and intellectual effects are sadly muted, blame its too-transient focus and unsettling clash of competing East-West styles and sensibilities.

Author: Wally Hammond 2007-05-29 11:28:56

Time Out London Issue 1919: May 30-June 5 2007

Bookmark

User reviews of this film

usman khawaja said...

Posted on Apr 21 2008 17:32 sparkling watery brilliance
after earth mira nair turns to water with a bolder theme and does full justice to the maltreatment of widows still prevalent in an institutionalised form in this realistic drama set in the ganges valley and shot beautifully with poetic fluidness in sri lanka ,after it was denied filming in benares where it was set origonally.the cast is superb headed by seema biswas with lisa ray and john enacting an anigmatic but tragic love affair and the evil is captured with true subtlety in the form of paedophiles and pimps who exploit the widows in an asharam for lust and greed .the 9 year old child widow chiriya, walks away with the final applause with a great performance as she is handled with fragile care by the excellent script and direction .the tragedy of cultural exploitation of the weaker sex was never brought to life in a more subtle and mature manner by an indian film-maker before ,and the sound track helps the evolution of a shocking story where the twist in the finale will take your breath away .unmissable and truly worthy of its oscar nomination .kudos to the entire team .the movie is set in british india and the brief appearance of the mahatama at the end is very symbolic yet relevant to this social awakening from a brilliant woman director .kudos

Report as inappropriate