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Plot:
The film examines the plight of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi. It focuses on a relationship between one of the widows, who wants to escape the social r...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:October 7, 2008
Had to watch it cos it's a compulsary for university course.But after watching this,I bet I don't regret it at all.It was such a beautiful movie!
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MCT:August 17, 2008This movie gives us a peek into the oppression of widows in India in 1930's. Cinematography is brilliant in this poignant tale.
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MCT:August 14, 2008I have just cried and cried and cried watching this movie. Its left me speechless. It made Memoirs of a Geisha look like Mary Poppins. One of the best movies i have ever seen.
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MCT:August 9, 2008
An eye opening film, third of the trilogy by director Deepa Mehta (Earth, Fire, Water) about the treatment & poverty of widows living in India during the 1930s. It focuses in primariy on three woman, a young 8 year old "widow", one in her twenties longing to escape to the the arms of a man on the outside who loves her and one in her forties struggling to hang-on to who she is and her faith. It's peppered with political opinion showing the social beliefs of the time (and still till this days in some remote areas) and of those kinder more open beliefs of Gandhi who who's popularity was on the rise at the time. A sad film and one that took 5 years to be made. The director was shut down in India and she had to re-film and re-cast later in a different location. The film was banned in India.
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MCT:July 5, 2008
One of the most beautiful films I have ever seen! Excellent photography and cinematography. The story is explores a whole new world and touches hearts !
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MCT:June 29, 2008
India has one of the biggest film industries in the world. Most have heard all about the large glitzy, and ultimately rather immature musicals that the country pumps out on a regular business. In many ways most of the edgier more independently minded movies about Indian society seem to be made by Indian immigrants in other countries like Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta. Mehta's film Water was greeted with great praise by western critics and an academy award nomination for best foreign film, but it was highly controversial in India where it's production was greeted with violence that forced it to move its production to Siri Lanka.
The film is an attack on the Hindu practice in which young women who are widowed at a young age are forced to live in Ashrams. There they live a secluded life not unlike that of a nun's. The film is set in 1938 and begins by focusing on a girl named Chuyia (Sarala Kariyawasam) whose arranged husband (who she never met) dies when she is seven years old. She is then sent to this ashram to live out the rest of her life. The ashram is run by the militantly traditionalist old woman named Madhumati (Manorama). In order to keep the ashram financially secure she forces a young beautiful widow named Kalyani (Lisa Ray) into prostitution. A young man, inspired by the teachings of Gandhi, named Narayan (John Abraham) runs into Kalyani and tells her about the possibility of leaving the ashram.
The film is set against the rise of Mahatma Gandhi, who was no fan of the way widows are treated. Gandhi's beliefs are not universally praised by the traditionalists around him, many Indians saw his attacks on ashrams and the caste system as "foolish" and "crazy." This I think is what the film's ultimate political message derives from; that progressive change is always attacked in its time by those without the vision to see how it will improve things. Today, the notion of ashram seems crazy, but at the time it was perfectly natural. Seeing such attitudes and such reactions to changes that seem like common sense allows the viewer to gain perspective about changing cultural norms that exist today. One could imagine people seventy years from now being just as baffled by the reaction certain people have to the thought of gay marriage.
The film's script is interesting, as it begins with a clear focus on the young Chuyia. One assumes it will stay focused on her but it doesn't. It seems that she is mainly used because it is an interesting perspective to use in introducing the ashram to the viewer. As the film progresses it becomes more of an ensemble piece and at times seems to focus very specifically on Kalyani and Narayan.
The Narayan character is in many ways the film's weak link. A romance that buds between him and Kalyani seems a bit hokey, they seem to fall in "love" after meeting maybe twice and have very few real interactions. What's shown on screen seems like little more than puppy love and Narayan's naivety occasionally gets on my nerves. Furthermore whenever he's on screen he tends to telegraph the film's message with very direct and inelegant lines. It doesn't help that John Abraham is probably gives the weakest performance in the film.
The film is very well produced, there's great cinematography to be seen in it and the film has a very effectively calm tone throughout. This combined with a well constructed political message makes the film as a whole rise above some questionable elements. -
MCT:May 4, 2008
A beautiful film.
Set in India, when it was still ruled by the Bristish, it follows the story of a little girl called Chuyia who becomes a widow at 7 years old. She's sent to a house of widows where she has to spend the rest of her life and we are presented to the lives of other widows who have already spent years there. And the drama begins...
I recommend it to anyone who's in the mood for a little drama and doesn't mind a forgein film. -
MCT:April 6, 2008
A good lovely movie with a cutesy story line and great acting but it wasn't intriguing enough. You didn't want to watch it you just did. The setting was awesme though.
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MCT:March 20, 2008
well if you want to know something about the things used to happen to the hindu widows in India during 1930 or before then watch this movie
actually some of those practices are still present in some places
the world was too difficult for the hindu widows
too hard to imagine -
MCT:March 15, 2008This movie is so good and so sad. It's about being a widow in India at the time of Gandhi. It's really well done. (NT)
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MCT:March 14, 2008
This is an absolutely beautiful film in every sense of the word. Visually, it's stunning. And it is deeply moving as it explores the tension between human struggle and religious hope. The symbolism is powerful yet simple. The acting is strong yet subtle. This is such a meaningful look at a tragic real life circumstance. However, what I like about this film is that the tragedy isn't crippling; it's actually quite empowering.
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MCT:March 4, 2008
Wow... que hermosa. Lo unico que no me gusto fue el suicidio... siento que no va con la historia y quizas pudo haber tenido algo mas bonito. No me imagine que lo llegaran a ver tan dramatico, aunque la situacion este cabrona. La ame... la niña que sale es completamente adorable e igual Didi (la buena, no la gorda). Muy recomendable.
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MCT:February 26, 2008
Séduite. Complètement séduite par un film qui aurait pu être beaucoup plus choque. Séduite par un film plein de vérités sur une culture beaucoup trop grande pour y comprendre le sens même de cette vérité. Séduite par les humains remplis d'espoir qui ont changé ce monde. Séduite par l'effort en vain que certains ont délivrés. Mourir pour une idée, se sacrifier pour les traditions et espérer pour être jeune en vieillissant. Voilà un film évoquateur sur ce que je pourrais appeler "l'industrie des veuves" en Inde. Deepa Metha est une réalisatrice méticuleuse qui a un don pour ses plans extraordinaires. Deepa réalise son film avec brio, mais pourtant un peu de Bollywood s'y cache. Un peu d'américanisation est soulevé. Faut croire qui sont partout ces Américains.
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MCT:February 12, 2008
Leary of it at first I shouldn't have been (yeah that sounded like Yoda I don't care). This film is both wonderful and tragic at the same time! Tagic in that your watching a group of women who because of some riddiculous religious law are forced into becomeing first 5 year old brides to 50 year old men and then later 10 year old widows who spend the rest of their lives alienated and abandonded by the world forced to survive by becoming prostitutes and beggers. Its happy because you see them survive and triumph! They grow as the film goes on...prehaps moved by the young girl in their mists who reminds them of themselves! Its visually wonderful and the music is good (for those who dislike indian music it isn't very much mainly instermental scores. These are the better part; very moving very haunting however not enough to remember them too long...but I wish I did). Its very slow which is its drop and only one...and its in hindi...however they have an english version but then you can't understand the toothless widow and shes the comic releif...all I ever dream about is sweets! I want a sweet before I die! Very deserving for the Oscar nomination! Oh and watch the director's comentary, I ussually don't but she really dives into the symbolism in the movie and the back story and its very imformative if you want more!
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MCT:January 28, 2008
Everything they didn't want you to see. Tear-jerker and a real heart-breaker. Wonderful wonderful cinematography.
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MCT:January 26, 2008
La historia transcurre en 1938, en la India colonial, en pleno movimiento de emancipación liderado por Mahatma Gandhi. Se celebra una boda que bien podría ser un entierro: casan a Chuyia (Sarala), una niña de 8 años, con un moribundo que fallece esa misma noche. Se quema su cuerpo en la orilla de un río sagrado y Chuyia se prepara para el destino que han escogido para ella. Se le afeita la cabeza e ingresa en un ashram para viudas donde deberá pasar el resto de su vida, convertida en un altar viviente consagrado a la memoria del fallecido. Última película de la famosa trilogía de Mehta, compuesta por "Fuego" (1996) y "Tierra" (1998).
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MCT:January 13, 2008
An AMAZING, yet heart-breaking movie. I've never cried so hard at the end of any movie like I did with this one.
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MCT:January 5, 2008
while this film was beautiful, tragic and hopeful i found it lacking something as far as it's plight was concerned. i realize that the subject matter is controversial and must be treated delicately, but I just wished it pushed the envelope a bit more, that it delved even deeper into the politics and particulars of being a widow during such a fluctuating time
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MCT:January 3, 2008
A tragically beautiful film teaching about the restrictions of a caste system and the division of the sexes.
I look forward to seeing the other films in this 'element' series. -
MCT:October 18, 2007
Powerful movie with a fascinating and awful look inside Indian culture and it's caste system in the 1930's.
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MCT:September 9, 2007
I absolutely loved this film! It was an extraordinarily sad look at life of a young widowed girl (around 8yrs old). The story behind the film is just as interesting as the film itself...which endured extreme protest during the production. I recommend checking out the dvd for all of the extras. The film was Oscar-worthy in my opinion...unfortunately, it was released during a year of fantastic film-making.
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MCT:August 22, 2007
Culturally rich and beautifully realized, Water is the true story of widows living in India during the 1930s. Seen through the sparkling eyes of Chuyia, an eight year old widow left alone after her husband dies, Water is a joy to watch from beginning to end.
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MCT:August 9, 2007
I just watched it an it was amazing beyond words. I could sit here and try to be Edgar Allan Poe, mankinddothsuckethdude, or some other famous writer, but there is no way I could capture it all properly. Loved it beyond belief. Deepa, you rock!
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MCT:July 16, 2007
A pesar de que no me gustó mucho, tengo que admitir que es una gran pelicula, una historia muy cruel, pero creible, buena fotografia, buen contexto.
