Water
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Movie Reviews of Water
Movie Review: More emotionally powerful and moving than words can possibly say
Summary: 5 Stars
Water is far too powerful and moving to be called a mere film; this is a brave cinematic triumph that illuminates a tragic issue that few in the West know the first thing about - namely, the historical plight of widows in Hindu society. It also has much to say about modern Hindu culture as well, though, as the mistreatment of widows is still a problem in India today - and quite a touchy one, as made clear by the reaction of Hindu fundamentalist groups in India during filming. As I watched the end credits of the film roll, I was a little puzzled as to why the movie was shot in Sri Lanka, but now I have learned that the original production was basically run out of Upper Pradesh, India, because it was attacked as anti-Hindu in nature. It took four years for the filming to be taken up again - this time outside of India, with the two lead roles played by one actress who only spoke Hindi as a second language (Lisa Ray) and another who spoke no Hindi whatsoever before filming began (Sarala). Obviously, the subject matter makes for a most touchy issue; Hinduism is the world's oldest religion, so we're talking about traditions ingrained into much of the population for thousands of years.
I first became fascinated with India a little over a year ago, and I found this film to be nothing short of shocking, exposing a part of Hindu culture I knew nothing about. I knew that widows had to give up their own lives in the funeral pyres of their dead husbands many centuries ago, but I had no idea that widows still gave up the majority of their lives here in the modern day. It is heartening to discover that Gandhi opposed this traditional practice. This great man was about much more than peaceful opposition to British colonialists and the elimination of the caste system - and widows were basically an anonymous cast unto themselves, separated and shunned by society. It's especially tragic to see a young and vibrant life essentially snuffed out by this practice - and it's doubly tragic that so many of these women did not question it, as they had been brought up to believe they deserved to be punished for not dying when their husbands died. It's even more especially tragic when such widows included little girls.
Chuyia (Sarala) is one such girl, widowed at seven years old. She accepts the ritualistic shaving of her head to indicate her widowhood, but she is far too young to understand why her parents abandoned her, leaving her in the care of a group of widows forced to live outside of normal society for the rest of their lives. Initially rebelling against her new position in life, she finds only one kind soul, a beautiful young lady named Kalyani (Lisa Ray). Kalyani lives somewhat apart from her fellow widows; she has a dog (which is forbidden) and she also still has long hair - but only because the dominant widow forces her into prostitution. Kalyani soon meets a young man named Narayan (John Abraham), a modern thinker and follower of Gandhi. They fall in love, and Narayan (to his mother's horror) asks her to marry him. That sets even more dramatic events in motion, leading up to a conclusion that will more than likely have you in tears.
As you may have guessed, this is a pretty depressing film, with a number of very uncomfortable, heart-breaking scenes. Your heart just goes out to so many of these widows, from the outrageously young, such as Chuyia, to the very old (such as Auntie, who has spent the better part of a century dreaming about the sweets she has been unable to taste since the time of her own childhood wedding). Amidst so much hopelessness, however, there is a modicum of hope embodied in one very religious woman (Seema Biswas) who begins to question the values she has always believed in - and in the end there is also Gandhi, who has returned to his native land and just been released from prison by the British (Water is set in 1938).
I really wish I could convey to you the raw power and emotion of this extraordinary film. The story is woven together in a masterly way, evoking almost infinite meaning from so many small incidents and events, and on a surprisingly large number of issues. The cinematography and sparsely effective musical score simply soar, and the performances of the entire cast could not be more impressive. I don't know if I've ever seen a film express so much meaning so effectively. Water is just a magnificent cinematic achievement.
Movie Review: Beautifully filmed, well-acted & thought-provoking
Summary: 5 Stars
Water is a beautifully filmed, well-acted, thought-provoking film. Aside from a couple of scenes seemingly in homage to Bollywood, it will move you deeply.
It took five years for the film to be completed due to Hindu fundamentalist groups shutting down the production two days into filming in 2000.
"Breaking up the sets was far too mild an act, the people involved with the film should have been beaten black and blue. They come with foreign money to make a film which shows India in poor light because that is what sells in the West. The West refuses to acknowledge our achievements in any sphere, but is only interested in our snake charmers and child brides. And people like Deepa Mehta pander to them," said India's The Week magazine (February 13, 2000).
Same old story - of hating and shattering the sincere mirror held up to our faces.
Water is the final film in Mehta's elemental trilogy (Earth-Fire-Water). Her films are based on elements that have the potential to nurture or destroy, to protect or consume, to be used constructively or otherwise in our lives.
The film's premise is based upon the 2,000 year old Laws of Manu which state that a Hindu wife has only three options upon the death of her husband: She can burn herself alive on his funeral pyre, marry his younger brother, or live the remainder of her life as a widow in self-denial, ostracized from society.
Set in India in 1938 along the River Ganges, the film chronicles the lives of several widows against the backdrop of the rise to prominence of Mahatma Gandhi and his non-violent campaign for liberation.
Water is an eloquent protest against the maltreatment of Indian widows, 37 million of whom were recorded in the 2001 Indian census. In the past and present, many of these women were forced to enter ashrams or "widow houses." Labeled as worthless without a husband to measure themselves by, they struggled to survive by begging and often turned to prostitution.
At our screening in March, Mehta talked about the widow problem in India: "It's what the text of Manu says: a woman is half-body of her husband when he is alive, and then when he dies, she becomes half-dead. However, the texts were written by men, interpreted by men, misinterpreted by men."
Mehta argued that an economic privilege is at play. "It's all economic, it really is," she says. "It benefits the households and the men if a woman who is a widow is sent away under the guise of religion."
A widow thus sent has no claim on the family land or wealth and does not need to be fed or clothed.
Mehta made it very clear that she is Hindu, Canadian-Indian, proud of her heritage and determined not to let what she sees as a narrow, patriarchal vision of Hinduism eliminate all other voices.
While not arrogant enough to think her film would transform the condition of the widows on its own, she felt it began a conversation, and that even in the past five years since she started the project the conditions of widows had changed a bit for the better.
I highly recommend seeing this film as a thought-provoking and necessary examination of how man-made interpretations of divine laws become unquestionable and sacred in their own right; the tensions between having a conscience and having faith that arise from these interpretations; and the diffculties women face in reconciling text and practices that often seem to favor men over women.
Movie Review: Insightful social commentary & thoroughly absorbing
Summary: 5 Stars
Deepa Mehta's "Water" is the final part of a trilogy of movies [the other two being "Fire" and "Earth"]. All three explore certain facets of Indian culture and are excellent social commentaries.
In "Water", the film is set during the time of British Colonial rule of India, known as the British Raj. The year is 1938, and despite British rule, there is a prevalence of child marriages. Many young girls are married off to much older men, and one such unfortunate is Chuyia [Sarala Kariyawasam]. She is an eight-year-old who has just been widowed and as per the custom of the time, is packed off to a widow's ashram to spend her life expiating her 'sins'. The other motivations for consigning the widows to ashrams is to offset their families' financial responsibilities and also alleviate the social stigma of having a widow in the family [ widows are frequently seen a symbols of bad luck, a perception that has lifted somewhat in contemporary Indian society but not altogether dispelled].
The presiding authority over the ashram is Madhumati {Manorama] an obese and completely ruthless lady who rules over the ashram with the aid of a pimp, Gulabi [Raghuvir yadav],and a eunuch. In order to keep the ashram functioning [apparently donations are insufficient] and Madhumati well-fed, the old witch prostitutes one of the ashram's residents, young widow Kalyani [an ethereally beautiful Lisa Ray]. Because of Kalyani's economic importance, she is the only one of the widows who is allowed to keep her hair [all the others, including young Chuyia have their heads shorn]. Then there is the literate widow [not many of the women can read] Shakuntala [portrayed by the talented Seema Biswas] who is battling her own inner demons.Shakuntala finds it hard to reconcile her devout Hindu beliefs with the fact that she abhors being a widow. Young Chuyia on the other hand, keeps thinking that she will be eventually taken away from the ashram by her mother, having no clue as to how dire her situation really is.
The story gets moving with the introduction of another character, Narayan [John Abraham], a staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi, and who comes from an affluent and influential family. When Narayan and Kalyani meet, sparks fly but both are very much aware of social taboos which hold them back from each other.Kalyani begins to refuse servicing clients, inciting Madhumati's anger. Narayan finds a way to meet Kalyani and the pair make plans to get away, a secret that Kalyani divulges to Chuyia. The young child accidentally blurts out the secret to Madhumati and this sets the stage for a series of tragic events.
Beautifully filmed, the story serves as a powerful social commentary on the plight of widows in India as set during the late 1930s. Though widows are much better off in contemporary India, their situation is still dire, with lives spent in poverty and under oppression, primarily in the rural areas. With "Water", director Mehta has given us a remarkably human story of substance that lingers in one's consciousness long after the credits have rolled.
Movie Review: Womans Role In Hinduism
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been a big admirer of Deepa Mehta's work for some time. Because she is really the only voice that shows the ouside world what is really going on in India. The government of India and also hindu's have been hiding these things and so many others from the outside world. She is the only director willing to show the bad point of hindu society especially with woman. I have a very close connection to this theme because i am also related to India by marriage, and have lived there for years off and on. Also Mehta is the only director to start showing things of hindu society. But for years Bollywood has been showing bad points of muslims in india and 99% aren't true. It is ok for them to do that but if they try to make anything about Hinduism then they try to shut it down.
Water is a wonderfull showing of the hindu's attitude towards woman. Woman are nothing but property that is bought and sold at marriage, and if they do not give enough money to husband at marry so many times family will burn them. When husbands die especially if they are young so many times are forced out from their husbands homes because they are considered bad luck. of course not that many hindu's follow this idea of putting woman in ashrams. but it still happens today, and they do end up into a life of prostitution as it shows in this movie. Actually this movie shows you a more tammer side of what happens to widows in india. They used to actually throw woman into their husbands funeral piers by force.
This movie has a wonderfull story line and also lesson about what is actually going on and outsiders have no idea. The acting was good but it would have been alot better if the original cast of Shabana Azmi playing the lead. But unfortunatly the indian government forced them to shut down filming in India and also forced Shabana Azmi out of the film. So if she would have been in it then it would have been the best acting. Next I think Deepa Mehta needs to show about abortion in india, and how many hindu babies are being aborted by their parents just because they are girls. Woman being forced to have abortion even if they don't want. Also how much india's population is going uneven with more boys then girls. In some places as much as 30% girls to 70% boys.
But I advise anyone who wants to see some reality that is going on under wraps, then you need to see every one of Deepa Mehta's movies. I find they will be a big awaking to those who are not familier with indian society.
Movie Review: Outstanding, but it will burn your heart
Summary: 5 Stars
You really should view Mehta's three films that make up the trilogy in order. With Earth she covers the carnage, brutality and massacres of the Indian civil war that broke out at the state of Independence from Britain. Fire covers sexual politics and is an incredibly brave film which is taboo shattering for Indian audiences. With "Water" Mehta has created a masterpiece. You cannot sit and watch this film without feeling the pain of the discarded Hindu widows. The little child that does not even know she has been married is forced into a secluded and highly restrictive life, made to feel little higher in society than a leper. Looked down upon by other Hindus with a disdain that is imbued with hatred, these poor women must fend for themselves till death.
Of course Mehta is outraged that India remains so hidebound to traditions that are anti-life. This movie caused a sensation in India when she tried to film it there. At the outset she had been given permission, the script had been vetted, the actors selected, sets built. Then came the backlash of vile innuendo spread by the BJP in the press. Not knowing any better, people gathered at the film set, protested and then trashed the set, causing a distraught and shocked Mehta to exit India. The film remained on the shelf, she did more films and then miraculously raised the budget all over again; this time removed to Sri Lanka with a new cast.
What is miraculous is that looked at now the film seems to be perfect and could not have been improved upon had it been shot earlier. The cast completely shines from top to bottom. The young girl chosen to play the child widow was a Sri Lankan and Hindi was not a language she knew. Instead of shirking from this, Mehta worked with her and the little girl spoke her lines phonetically; as a non-Hindi speaker I could not have detected anything. She is a perfectly natural actress and her portrayal is very powerful.
This is a very heartbreaking film and you simply cannot see it without feeling grief and yet at the very end, hope. As of early 2007 the film has yet to play in India although I hear that plans for it's premier are for later this year. I'll believe it when I read of it. This film holds certain Hindu traditions up to severe scrutiny and the image will make millions in India very uncomfortable. It should. A tremendous achievement.