Water Reviews

• A Social Conscious Film of Uncommon Beauty.

  
  By A3UPYGJKZ0XTU4 on 2006-09-05
  "Water" is the third film in writer/director Deepa Mehta's elemental trilogy, following "Fire" and "Earth". It explores the plight of widows in traditional Hindu culture, where women are condemned to a grim, rudimentary existence after their husbands die. Driven by characters as much as by its cause, this is not a bleak film. On the contrary, "Water" is breathtakingly beautiful. In India in 1938, young Chuyia (Sarala) is widowed at the age of 8. By religious law, when a man dies, his wife may either be cremated with him, marry his brother, or live the life of an ascetic -chaste, poor, and pious. Chuyia's head is shaved, her jewelry removed, and she is sent to live in an ashram with other widows of all ages. She is befriended by a pretty widow named Kalyani (Lisa Ray), watched over by the devout and generous Shakuntula (Seema Biswas), and often at odds with the ashram's callous matriarch Madhumati (Manorama), who pays the rent by prostituting Kalyani. A handsome law student with progressive politics, Narayan (John Abraham), is smitten by Kalyani. But it is sinful for widows to remarry, and Kalyani is a prostitute besides.
  
  The story of making "Water" is a drama in itself. Filming in India in 2000 was shut down by violent protests by religious fundamentalists, who believed the film was anti-Hindu. Deepa Mehta's view is that a misinterpretation of religious texts has perpetuated the dreadful state of widows in Indian culture, which is actually the result of economics. If a widow is sent away upon the death of her husband, her own family does not have to pay to feed or house her, and her would-be inheritance remains in her husband's family. In any case, there were riots, Deepa Mehta was burned in effigy, and the film's sets were thrown into the river. Four years later, the film was recast and the production moved to Sri Lanka, where filming began again. All of the temples and buildings that you see are sets by production designer Dilip Mehta. Sarala, who plays Chuyia, is Sri Lankan and does not speak a word of Hindi. She learned all of her lines phonetically. Somehow that doesn't even seem odd amid this international cast and creative crew.
  
  Giles Nuttgens' cinematography is a force in this film. Everything appears so alive and luminous that I wanted to step into this world to be bathed in its beautiful light and touch its delicate features. The light has a striking purity. The film's score by Canadian Mychael Danna and songs by Indian composer A.R. Rahman are an ideal auditory accompaniment to "Water"'s visual splendor. Although it focuses our attention on the plight of widows in India, "Water" is not a realistic film on the narrative level. Kalyani and Narayan are idealized characters. She is pure, lovely, and suffering. He educated, and socially progressive. To Narayan, Kalyani is a romantic figure, a fragile, innocent soul in need of rescuing. The idea that a wealthy, educated man would want to marry an illiterate peasant prostitute who will never understand his causes or his world view seems far-fetched. But Kalyani's reticence and Narayan's sensitivity draw us in. Narayan is a change of pace for John Abraham, who is an Indian supermodel and Bollywood star. Lisa Ray is Canadian, also a supermodel in India, but Hindi is not her first language. Director Deepa Mehta has a real talent for casting the perfect actors from seemingly unlikely choices.
  
  For all of Kalyani and Narayan's beauty and sympathy, "Water" is not their film. Shakuntula is the character who has an arc, and Seema Biswas gives the film's great performance. She personifies the conflict between conscience and faith that is at "Water"'s core. (You many remember Seema Biswas from her lead role in "Bandit Queen".) Manorama, who has acted in an extraordinary 1301 movies, is memorably sharp as the matriarch Madhumati. Professor of Hindi literature Dr. Vidula Javalgekar plays the kindly, sweet-toothed, elderly widow Patiraji, a woman who must be very unlike herself. "Water" is simply a gorgeous sensory experience that movie-lovers won't want to miss. In Hindi (and some Sanskrit) with English or Spanish subtitles or English captions.
  
  The DVD (20th Century Fox 2006): "Behind the Scenes" (20 min) includes interviews with writer/director Deepa Mehta and the cast. Mehta talks about the controversy surrounding the film and its themes. The actors discuss Mehta's directing style, mastering the period mannerisms, and their characters. "The Story Behind the Making of Water" (4 min) is about the controversy and the ill-fated first attempt to film "Water". There is a good, continuous audio commentary by Deepa Mehta in which discusses the sets, actors, character development, cinematography and lighting, the film's score, and provides additional information about Indian culture.
  
  

• Widow's Peak

  
  By A1TJPMB7N776WS on 2006-05-10
  "Water" is a beautiful, tragic, sad, emotionally available film about the deplorable situation in India in regards to its many millions of widows: who are segregated into Ashrams, forced to beg in the street, some into prostitution to support the Ashram and are viewed as if not Untouchable...then unavailable for remarriage.
  "Water" focuses on the beautiful very young, as in 9 years old, Chuyia (Sarala), Kalayani (Lisa Ray), both widows and Narayana (John Abraham): a young Ghandhi follower in love with Kalayani.
  The time is 1938, India is in social, political and religious upheaval but director Deepa Mehta uses this as only a backdrop for her very personal and tragic story. At times, though her agenda is without a doubt important, Mehta's approach is too overwrought, too heavy-handed. But her film is so gorgeous and her mise en scene so much about the cleansing qualities of color: turquoises, lemon yellows, scarlet reds, lime greens...that most of this didactic quality can be forgiven.
  Water can cleanse, Water can heal, Water brings forth life and renewal and "Water" is full of these images but it is also about Hope for the future and Redemption through the restorative power of Love.
  
  
  

• A Moving Portrait of Life in Rural India

  
  By A3M2WW0PO34B94 on 2006-06-07
  When I was in film school, I remember a professor showing an Indian film called "Panther Panchali". Despite the terrible print, I could see director Satyajit Ray was an artist. "Panchali" is a beautiful film about a poor Indian family living through the monsoon season. I then went on to discover some of his other films. A couple of years ago, Merchant Ivory hosted a retrospective of Ray's films and these restored prints are available on DVD. You are depriving yourself if you do not watch these films.
  
  As I watched "Water", the new film from director Deepa Mehta, I was constantly reminded of Ray's films. The composition, pacing, subject matter and acting style are all the same.
  
  Chuyia (Ronica Sajnani Sarala), a seven year old girl, finds she has become a widow; her arranged husband has died leaving her adrift in a society that favors men. Religious law dictates if she lives a chaste life she will join her husband in heaven. Of course, she doesn't know or understand any of this when her family takes her to a home, to live with other widows. She soon meets the matriarch of the house, Sadananda (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), a fat woman who eats the most food, Shakuntala (Seema Biswas), a bitter woman who shows some compassion to Chuyia and Kalyani (Lisa Ray), a young woman who is allowed to grow her hair out and meet `clients' to help support the house. Soon, Chuyia meets Narayana (John Abraham), a bachelor from a rich family who is instantly attracted to Kalyani. As their relationship grows, there are murmurs of Gandhi leading the Indian people to independence from Britain.
  
  Deepa Mehta has crafted a beautiful film depicting a sad reality in India's history. As one character states, families used this religious practice to free themselves of a financial burden and another mouth to feed. In this belief, there are three ways of dealing with a widow; marry her to a younger brother of the deceased male, have her join her husband on the funeral pyre, or banish her to a house to live with other widows until she dies and rejoins her husband in Heaven. Of course, if a wife dies, the husband is free, encouraged to remarry. After Mehta establishes the details of this practice, she introduces us to the main characters, the people who will inhabit the story we are about to watch. There are people from every generation in this house; "Auntie" is an elderly widow who still dreams of the sweets she had at her wedding, when she was seven, Sadananda seems to be a gang leader, or pimp, sending Kalyani out to meet married men, to help support the house and her eating habits. Sadly, every generation is represented.
  
  The growing relationship between Kalyani and Narayana is very believable and touching. Indian tradition and the difficulties of Kalyani's position dictate they must behave in a certain way. But Narayana is a modern Indian man and he soon tells his mother he and Kalyani will be married. When his mother finds out his intended bride is a widow, she is shocked and won't allow it. But Narayana has no doubt that he will wed his lover, all it takes is some convincing.
  
  As the story moves towards its emotional climax, Shakuntala becomes the voice of reason. She helps Kalyani get out of the house to meet her lover and eventually helps other members of the house.
  
  Mehta composes every shot with a painter's eye. Vivid colors poke out throughout every frame, colors so bright they appear to be painted on the screen. As we watch these characters struggle to live in the house, they make infrequent trips outside to bathe, walk, and experience. Inside the house, everyone wears a sari made of the same natural cloth and everything is rather drab. But as they explore the neighboring community, we see women wearing bright saris, vivid flowers and bright gold, copper and silver. The difference between the two worlds is very noticeable and helps to contrast the living conditions of the two different groups.
  
  Ray used the same attention to detail in his films creating beautiful compositions in black and white.
  
  Both filmmakers chose similar subject matter. Like Ray before her, Mehta has chosen a fairly simple, straight forward story. Because the story doesn't have a lot of distractions, it allows you to concentrate on the characters and give them your attention. The actors provide vivid, interesting portrayals that compliment the story.
  
  "Water" is a very good film. Search it out and you will be rewarded.
  
  
  

• "Live life and be happy"

  
  By A2EEUQ81DTY7G3 on 2006-08-31
  A film of jaw-jopping beauty and deeply held poetical lyricism, Deepa Mehta's spectacular Water - the final installment of her devastatingly beautiful Indian trilogy - is a film of overwhelming tragedy, a gorgeous homage to the country of her birth and a real testament to the resilience of her people's spirit.
  
  Steeping her story in Indian spirituality, Mehta sets her atmospheric film in 1938 Colonial India during Gandhi's rise to power. Times are changing for this country that for so long now has only known British rule. New laws are being passed and the young - particularly the men - are gradually opening to the new ways and becoming more liberal minded.
  
  Change, however, seems far from the young Chuyia (Sarala) when her father drops her at an ashram for widows. A child bride and married for economic reasons, her much older husband unexpectedly died. Now considered a financial burden by her family she is sent to a house where she is forced to live a life of rigorous penitence and is never allowed to remarry.
  
  Here she meets the Madame of the house Madhumati (Manorma), a hugely fat and authoritarian woman in her mid-70s, who runs the house like a nazi, lauding it over all the other women. Of course, Chuyia has a hard time adjusting to this new life of singing religious hymns every day, wearing only white and begging on the streets for money.
  
  People avoid them like the plague; many Hindus believe that if they bump into a widow, they will be polluted and must do rituals of purification. Chuyia doesn't really understand any of this, but she has a sharp tongue and her rebellious instincts upset the other widows who reside in this decrepit two-story dwelling built around a court and overlooking the river, most probably the Ganges.
  
  Soon the child befriends Shakuntala (Seema Biswas), a kindly woman who struggles to calm the girl down even as she herself struggles with issues of faith and self-worth. But it is to the young and beautiful widow Kalyani (Lisa Ray), whom Chuyia is most drawn to.
  
  Through Chuyia, Kalyani meets Narayan (John Abraham), a law student and Gandhi nationalist who is from a wealthy Indian family is an ardent believer in the civil disobedience campaign of Mahatma Gandhi. Narayan falls in love with Kalyani and their romance plays out against the backdrop of the rainwater and the sacred water of the Ganges where people bath, do rituals, and send the ashes of the dead.
  
  Narayan promises to take Kalyani away and marry her, but the ancient Indian faith is very firm about widows remarrying. And although a new law has recently been passed - supported by Gandhi - the men who still have the power are intent to ignore laws that cause inconvenience to them.
  
  Mehta totally steeps her film in the social and political - and even religious - ramifications of the day, with Gandhi - and the promise of reform always in the background. This leader has begun to speak against the harsh treatment of women and the caste system, angering Hindu fundamentalists. But to the widows and other outcasts, he is a guiding light and a symbol of hope.
  
  Lush and full of atmosphere, Water contains some of the most unforgettable images of startling beauty. Indeed the calm magnificence and spirituality of the landscape - the constant ebb and flow of the water - makes a violent contrast to the oppression these widows must face, all in the name of religion.
  
  The impact is devastating and to think that these women, are even today, forced to follow chauvinistic religious rules that were put in place thousands of years ago by texts that are still treated as revered and sacred. Mike Leonard August 06.
  
  
  

• 'Disguised as religion, it is all about money'

  
  By A328S9RN3U5M68 on 2006-09-10
  This sad statement is the core of the film's message about the reason for the sequestration of widows from Indian society. The Hindu religion states that a woman is half her husband and when she becomes a widow (no matter the age - many children are married to very old men) she must live a chaste life without the joys of the world, becoming a virtual begging outcast. But despite this 'religious' reason for sending the thousands of widows into seclusion in the city of Varanasi, the apparent true reason is to not have them take up space and money in the homes of the deceased!
  
  WATER is Deepa Mehta's masterpiece of writing and directing, creating a film of such extraordinary beauty and sensitivity despite all plots to keep her from turning her 'anti-Hindu' story into a movie for public consumption. Years of frustration preceded the final product, a film that had to be shot in Sri Lanka to avoid the crowds of protestors in Mehta's beloved India. The story is simple yet profound: Chuyia (Sarala) is an 8-year old girl married to an elderly man in an event she doesn't even remember. But as a new widow her father takes her to an ashram in Varanasi where her head is shaved and she wears a colorless sari and must live with the other outcast widows. She is befriended by the religious and kind Shakuntala (Seema Biswas) who attempts to protect her from the forces that make life difficult and by Kalyani (the stunning model turned fine actress Lisa Ray) who befriends her, shares her puppy and her secrets, and in the end helps Chuyia understand the injustices of the custom of isolating widows. Kalyani is 'farmed out' by eunuch procurer Galabi (Raghuvir Yadav) to keep her humanness alive. But a handsome commoner and follower of Gandhi (the year is 1938), Narayan (John Abraham), is struck by both Chuyia and Kalyani and falls in love with Kalyani, a love that is never to be realized in marriage for reasons unveiled in the story. At film's end there is a sense of hope for the widows as introduced by the rise of Gandhi and his philosophy and the film's closing is immensely touching.
  
  Mehta knows how to tell her story well and is not only supported by a strong cast but also by a fine production crew: the cinematography by Giles Nuttgens is incandescently moody and gloriously beautiful and the original music by Mychael Danna and A.R. Rahman blends Indian songs with Western orchestral writing in a perfect union that works well with the story. This is one of those films that not only stands alone as a strikingly beautiful creation, but it is also a film that informs us about other cultural patterns about which most of us are ignorant. It is a masterpiece on every level, a film to add to your library along with the other two parts of Mehta's trilogy - Fire and Earth. Grady Harp, September 06
  
  
  
  
• Oppressive Tradition Is Challenged In 1930's India
  By A3BEF4IHWI0VC on 2006-06-10
  Chuyia (Ronica Sarala) is an 8-year old child bride who, after her "husband" dies, is sent off to live at a house for widows. She befriends a beautiful young woman named Kalyani (Lisa Ray) who is used by the hateful and corrupt Madhumati (Manorama) to earn money for the house as a prostitute. Chuyia also finds motherly support from Shakuntala (Seemas Biswas), an intelligent, compassionate widow who is angry about her circumstances but feels unable to change them.
  
  Kalyani develops an intense mutual attraction with Narayana (John Abraham), an idealistic, educated young man from the upper class. But a relationship between them is strictly prohibited by Hindu tradition, which considers widows to be "polluted" and not allowed to re-marry. Still their romance blossoms in a series of secret encounters and Narayana suggests they get married and leave for Calcutta. Madhumati learns of this and locks Kalyani in her room. But Shakuntla manages to free Kalyani and sends her off to marry Narayana. However, their romance ends in tragedy when it turns out that Narayana's father knows of Kaylani's past as a prostitute. Narayana still wants to marry her. But the shamed Kaylani ends up drowning herself in the Ganges River. The monstrous Madhumati then attempts to turn Chuyia into a child prostitute. But she is saved from this horrible fate by the brave Shakuntala, who feels empowered to act by the social changes taking place in India during this era of Gandhian inspired reform. Finally, Shakuntala manages to bring traumatized little Chuyia to Narayana, just as he is leaving on a train with Gandhi and other activists.
  
  This film definitely has an epic tone, especially in its "Romeo and Juliet" like story of the tragic romance between Kalyani and Narayana. I don't typically go for this style of film. But "Water" manages to pull it off fairly well, especially since the film is set in 1930's India. Still what I think takes this movie to a higher level is that it doesn't just focus on their star crossed romance. But instead challenges the dogma of Hindu tradition which called for widows to live out their existence as "polluted" wretches segregated from society. Of course, this was a hopeful time in India, as Gandhi and his followers were trying not only to achieve independence from Britain. But also uplift the downtrodden, including Untouchables and women. The sad reality is that the Gandhian movement only manged to transform Indian society to a certain extent. Even today most women, especially among the poor, are still considered second class citizens in India and severely oppressed, a fact that I witnessed first hand while visiting the country. Even worse, there is currently a strong Hindu fundamentalist movement which has gained a serious level of political power while trying to roll back the social reforms of modern India. It was these fanatics who waged violent protests during the shooting of this picture. But brave director Deepa Mehta managed to complete the movie anyway. So congratulations to her and all involved in this outstanding film.
  
  
  
• Unbelievably moving.. A must see for all...
  By APNDQLV6S4MUY on 2006-07-02
  What an extraordinary film! I've been to see it 4 times already.. and I insist on taking anyone who questions the credibility of independant films and Indian films to go and see this!!! I was particulary moved when I read of what Deepa had to endure in the making of this film. Death threats, suicide protests, fire, armed guards, changing locations, amending her script... the list goes on.. all to hide the truth.. of what is really still happening in modern day India.. how brave and marvelous of Deepa Mehta to perservere and bring this film to us all.. I am so moved everytime I view it.. and yes.. like the other person below said.. we all sit in silence at the end.. in tears.. Please support Deepa and see her other 2 films which complete this trilogy.. Fire and Earth.. I have purchased them both from amazon.. and they are wonderful.
  
  
• More emotionally powerful and moving than words can possibly say
  By A3KF4IP2MUS8QQ on 2006-12-01
  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.
  
  
• Emotional and Artistic
  By A3M2WW0PO34B94 on 2006-05-17
  When I was in film school, I remember a professor showing an Indian film called "Panther Panchali". Despite the terrible print, I could see director Satyajit Ray was an artist. "Panchali" is a beautiful film about a poor Indian family living through the monsoon season. I then went on to discover some of his other films. A couple of years ago, Merchant Ivory hosted a retrospective of Ray's films and these restored prints are available on DVD. You are depriving yourself if you do not watch these films.
  
  As I watched "Water", the new film from director Deepa Mehta, I was constantly reminded of Ray's films. The composition, pacing, subject matter and acting style are all the same.
  
  Chuyia (Ronica Sajnani Sarala), a seven year old girl, finds she has become a widow; her arranged husband has died leaving her adrift in a society that favors men. Religious law dictates if she lives a chaste life she will join her husband in heaven. Of course, she doesn't know or understand any of this when her family takes her to a home, to live with other widows. She soon meets the matriarch of the house, Sadananda (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), a fat woman who eats the most food, Shakuntala (Seema Biswas), a bitter woman who shows some compassion to Chuyia and Kalyani (Lisa Ray), a young woman who is allowed to grow her hair out and meet `clients' to help support the house. Soon, Chuyia meets Narayana (John Abraham), a bachelor from a rich family who is instantly attracted to Kalyani. As their relationship grows, there are murmurs of Gandhi leading the Indian people to independence from Britain.
  
  Deepa Mehta has crafted a beautiful film depicting a sad reality in India's history. As one character states, families used this religious practice to free themselves of a financial burden and another mouth to feed. In this belief, there are three ways of dealing with a widow; marry her to a younger brother of the deceased male, have her join her husband on the funeral pyre, or banish her to a house to live with other widows until she dies and rejoins her husband in Heaven. Of course, if a wife dies, the husband is free, encouraged to remarry. After Mehta establishes the details of this practice, she introduces us to the main characters, the people who will inhabit the story we are about to watch. There are people from every generation in this house; "Auntie" is an elderly widow who still dreams of the sweets she had at her wedding, when she was seven, Sadananda seems to be a gang leader, or pimp, sending Kalyani out to meet married men, to help support the house and her eating habits. Sadly, every generation is represented.
  
  The growing relationship between Kalyani and Narayana is very believable and touching. Indian tradition and the difficulties of Kalyani's position dictate they must behave in a certain way. But Narayana is a modern Indian man and he soon tells his mother he and Kalyani will be married. When his mother finds out his intended bride is a widow, she is shocked and won't allow it. But Narayana has no doubt that he will wed his lover, all it takes is some convincing.
  
  As the story moves towards its emotional climax, Shakuntala becomes the voice of reason. She helps Kalyani get out of the house to meet her lover and eventually helps other members of the house.
  
  Mehta composes every shot with a painter's eye. Vivid colors poke out throughout every frame, colors so bright they appear to be painted on the screen. As we watch these characters struggle to live in the house, they make infrequent trips outside to bathe, walk, and experience. Inside the house, everyone wears a sari made of the same natural cloth and everything is rather drab. But as they explore the neighboring community, we see women wearing bright saris, vivid flowers and bright gold, copper and silver. The difference between the two worlds is very noticeable and helps to contrast the living conditions of the two different groups.
  
  Ray used the same attention to detail in his films creating beautiful compositions in black and white.
  
  Both filmmakers chose similar subject matter. Like Ray before her, Mehta has chosen a fairly simple, straight forward story. Because the story doesn't have a lot of distractions, it allows you to concentrate on the characters and give them your attention. The actors provide vivid, interesting portrayals that compliment the story.
  
  "Water" is a very good film. Search it out and you will be rewarded.
  
  
  
• Water is a masterpiece
  By A22VQI5OHBAP1X on 2006-06-14
  As has been so well reviewed by the preceding writers, this film centers itself on the life of a group of widows in a small city of India in 1938.
  
  The actors move beautifully through the story with grace and emotion. Contrasting with the two other movies by Deepa Metha, this one has an intense serenity about it, despite the tragic events described. Great attention to details show in the depiction of secondary characters. One has a clear idea of how these widows have to live in acute poverty, but despite their drab surroundings, the arrival of the child widow, the grace of Lisa Ray (Kalyani) and of Seema Biswas (Shakuntala) transcend the tragedy.
  
  The film was to be shot in the sacred city of Varanasi, but the following day of arrival of the crew, 2,000 protesters destroyed the built movie set, and the
  film was then cancelled. Deepa Metha started to receive threats to her life.
  
  It is an unforgettable film about the spirit of life, the connection to the elements and beauty of nature. Truly a masterpiece, surpassing even some of
  Satyajit Ray.
  
  If you decide to go and see it, you will probably sit at the end of the credits, in silence as it seems that this happens at each showing. It is indeed a deeply transforming experience.
  
  
• Outstanding, but it will burn your heart
  By A1UYL5GIQ8YE77 on 2007-03-11
  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.
  
  
• Excellent glimpse into another life...
  By A3470ASHYM9U51 on 2006-09-07
  WATER is a rare movie that succeeds in being many things at the same time. It's a love story, and it's political; it has aspects of coming-of-age drama while also exploring the gaps between generations; there is poetry in both language and vision; it feels at times like a fantasy, but one achieved through realism, through the rare opportunity to peer into a world most of us would never have the opportunity to see.
  
  Written and directed by Deepa Mehta, WATER is the third in her "elemental trilogy," having been preceded by EARTH and FIRE. I had seen neither before watching the DVD of WATER, so don't worry, you don't need to know the other stories to know what's happening in this one. You're probably going to want to go back and watch the others just because WATER was so good, though. I know I have put them at the top of my rental queue.
  
  WATER is set in India during the 1930s. Gandhi is starting to gain notoriety and his progressive ideas are sweeping over a nation that has spent too much time under foreign rule. That is merely a backdrop, however, an indication of a larger social milieu. The real story is in an ashram where widows live the remainder of their lives in a state of denial, compelled by Hinduism to abandon the material world at the same time their husbands did. Only, since they are still alive, they have to do so by renouncing their very existence. Heads shaved, allowed only one meal a day, and forbidden from any extended contact with men, they live a meager existence together in their own pocket culture.
  
  The film opens when eight-year-old Chuyia (played by Sarala) is informed that her husband has died. Not even old enough to realize that she had been married, Chuyia is in a state of confusion when she is shuffled off to the widows' ashram. She rebels and fantasizes about escaping. Eventually, she settles in, befriending the beautiful Kalyani (Lisa Ray), who has been forced into prostitution by the rotund ruler of the house, Madhumati (Manorama), in order to provide for the needs of the other widows. Chuyia and Madhumati clash instantly, and it's only thanks to intervention of the calm Shakuntala (Seema Biswas) that the young girl escapes a beating.
  
  The injustice of how the widows live is quite obvious, and Mehta doesn't have to overdo it to make us see her point. She deliberately sets the movie at a time of cultural change in India, because it gives her a convenient platform to illustrate this bizarre situation. The three generations of women--Chuyia, Kalyani, and Shakuntala--represent three tiers of belief. The youngest does not yet know what is in store for her, whereas the older is completely resigned to her fate. It's only the middle woman, Kalyani, who is aware of both sides, and who can temper the hope of the child with the wisdom of age. The handsome and sensitive Narayan represents the progressive mind of India. He is willing to buck his mother's desires for him to marry within his class, smitten as he is with Kalyani. A student of Gandhi, Narayan is also an aficionado of romantic poetry, imagining himself as a warrior in an epic battle for love. He's going to marry Kalyani, and he's not afraid of the consequences.
  
  Naturally, changes of this kind do come with consequences, and none of the women are unaffected. Shakuntala is goes through the deepest transformation, and the fate of the child is placed on her back. All the actors are great, but Biswas has the most work to do. The gradual erosion of her resolve could have been overwrought, but she makes the inner conflict feel real. It's largely down to her that the ending works. Once again, in less capable hands, the final scenes could have been schmaltzy, but Mehta is not interested in a complete triumph. She has written a story where good things happen, but with the appropriate price.
  
  Just as complex as the social issues is Mehta's approach to the various images of water in the movie. She is not content to establish one metaphor for the element, but to look at all of its uses. It might be cleansing and life giving, but it can also take away. It can ferry us to a new life or to our own destruction. The most romantic use of water imagery, however, is when Narayan is alone with Kalyani and he recites a verse about how rain clouds are the messengers of the heavens. Thus, his failure to see an oncoming storm also becomes all the more ironic.
  
  Even if WATER didn't have such an involving story, it would be worth watching just to look at it. Mehta and her director of photography, Giles Nuttgens (YOUNG ADAM), are clearly enamored of India. The city streets are lovingly shot, the details of the people and their surroundings orchestrated down to the smallest detail. This means they also don't shy away from the squalor, which provides an excellent contrast to the gorgeous nature shots. The ones centered around water are particularly beautiful.
  
  WATER isn't just an exceptional movie, but it's also an exceptional DVD. In addition to a commentary by Deepa Mehta, there are two featurettes on the making of the movie. A lot of preparation went into getting the historical and cultural details of the movie correct, but there was also a behind-the-scenes struggle to get the movie made that is just as interesting as the final product. Faced with opposition from religious fundamentalists who misconstrued Mehta's intentions, the production was shut down before it started, and it took Mehta several years to get it going again. When she did, she had to shoot in Sri Lanka instead of India. For a film about the gradual change of religious politics set over sixty years ago, the battle against Water is a grim reminder that we're still faced with such problems today.
  
  
  
• A very fine film, that injects a hint of realism into Bollywood melodrama
  By AGVWTYW0ULXHT on 2006-09-13
  Several reviews have already described the plot and details behind the making of this film, so I won't repeat that. I did want to mention something that may not be as readily apparent to most American viewers but that seems important for an appreciation of this film.
  
  One reader compared this film to the realism of "Pather Panchali" and I agree with another that the similarities between these films are superficial: the "auntie" character in both films are similar, they both work by focusing on the lives of a few set against the backdrop of major changes in India that affect their lives. Where the films differ is that in Pather Panchali, Satyaajit Ray was attempting (and was remarkably successful) to bring to his own country a style of poetic realism he learned from European directors and most notably from Renoir. In this film, Deepa Mehta appears to be attempting to adapt mainstream Bollywood style to the problem of conveying realistically the problems inherited from a rigid interpretation of religious traditions. In this she is also remarkably successful. Some have complained in these reviews of a melodramatic and emotionally charged feel to the film -- but what is missed is that this style is characteristic of mainstream "Bollywood" filmmaking, and the director has been able to adapt this style to her own purposes, which suggests that her primary intended audience is in India. What I found most interesting was the way she adapted the traditional musical numbers in Bollywood films, including them while making them much more plausible than in the standard Bollywood musicals. In such films, emotions of the characters are expressed through highly stylized musical sequences, in which the main characters dance and sing to express their love for one another or jealousy or fear or sorrow. In this film, the numbers were toned down, and the emotion was carried by the song, while the characters adopted poses or activities that suggested their emotional state without explicitly bursting into song.
  
  "Water" is beautifully shot with a very effective cast. At great odds and against the backdrop of persecution and opposition by fundamentalists, the film successfully brings attention to the traditional (and to some extent still continuing) plight of widows in India. Moreover, it effectively employs a style of filmmaking that would both be accessible to non-Indian viewers and that at the same time respects and honors the great tradition of mainstream Indian filmmaking. Definitely worth seeing.
  
  
• Misrepresentation of Hinduism
  By A31R5D7ZKE1P04 on 2007-02-01
  The director, Deepa Mehta, has made an anti-Hindu film. The quote at the beginning of the film is from the "Manu Smriti", which is NOT a mainstream Hindu text. The majority of Hindus follow the teachings of the Vedas, the Ramayana and the Bhagavad Gita.
  
  It's sad that non-Hindus will have a negative view of India and Hinduism after watching this movie. Hinduism is not as oppressive as Ms. Mehta would have you believe. The majority of Hindu women in India and around the world have equal opportunities to go to school, have a family, work and become business and political leaders.
  
  Hindu worship includes prayers to goddesses. Ancient Hindus saw women as the giver of life and thus women and goddesses were revered. India has even had a woman Prime Minister.
  
  Please keep an open mind. Don't believe everything you see and read. Do your own research. Take a few minutes and research "Manu Smriti" on the Internet. Not everything written 2000 years ago, is applicable and followed today.
  
  
  
  
• Have a Ladoo
  By A2CRIEA7FXEFST on 2008-02-05
  One of my greatest pleasures teaching my Introduction to the Religions of India, China, and Japan class is being able to introduce my students, whom have mainly had a steady diet of Hollywood blockbuster tripe, to a number of international films that truly raise the bar. For the India section of my class I tend to show Deepa Mehta's beautiful film Water (2005) which has left a number of my students in tears at the end of its near two hour duration.
  
  Water opens in 1938 a time in which Indian Nationalists were at odds with the British to free their country. Gandhi was still in prison, but his release was imminent. However, tradition still held its strangle hold upon the country, and Brahmin widows were often sent to live in ashrams where they would live on a scant one meal a day, beg for money, and live in near abject poverty. Water focuses on the nine-year-old Chuyia whose husband has just passed away. Not yet old enough to fully comprehend that she is marries, let alone that she is to live her life in an ashram away from the ones she loves, the young girl puts up quite a fight against the widows at the ashram, particularly the obese, manipulative Madhumati. However, she does find some kindness in the figure of Shakuntala, but mainly she strikes up a friendship with the beautiful Kalyani whose hair remains long, unlike the other widows, because she is a prostitute whose beauty and body helps keep the ashram afloat.
  
  One day when Kalyani's dog escapes Chuyia, she runs after him and meets Narayan who has caught the dog. Helping Chuyia find Kalyani, the scholarly nationalist Narayan falls instantly in love with Kalyani. However, although her attraction to Narayan is mutual, can Kalyani overcome her past and a deep, turgid tradition that keeps individuals locked in place?
  
  I have read articles that have called Deepa Mehta a self-hating Hindu because of her attitudes toward her religion in her films, especially her elemental trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water, but as one can readily see in this film that she also appreciates the beauty of India's traditions. The problem is the unwillingness of those in power to lessen tradition to allow people to grow. A beautiful albeit depressing film, Water is not to be missed by fans of not only Indian films, but by film fans in general.
  
  
• Incredible
  By A13IRKEEPFTWFM on 2006-06-03
  Deepa Mehta's _Water_ was one of the best films I've seen in a really long time.
  
  Nine-year-old Chuyia barely remembers her wedding, and now her father has come to tell her that she is a widow. Her parents take her to an Ashram - a sort of rest home for widows - to live out the rest of her days. There, she meets Auntie, an aged senile old woman, married when she was seven years old, who still longs for the sweets that she had at her wedding. The leader of the ashram, an old, overweight woman and the only one of the women living there who gets full meals, rules like a tyrant and pimps out the young widows to Brahmin men on the other side of the holy river.
  One young widow, Kayalyina (sp?) falls in love with a young Brahmin who has embraced the teachings of Ghandi. Tragedy strikes, however, when the differences in their caste prove impossible to overcome. Chuyia escapes the Ashram, but only after much suffering.
  
  The acting, especially by the young girl who plays Chuyia, is incredible here, and the cinematography was astounding. I was deeply moved by this film; I don't believed that I've wept at a movie as much as I did tonight watching _Water_. This film is highly recommended; I can't wait to see the two 'prequels' - Fire and Earth.
  
  
• The Beauty of Stillness
  By A2NH4D9NIP0Q94 on 2007-04-01
  I can't remember the last time I saw an Indian film of such beauty and stillness. Stillness - that's the word which kept coming to my mind from time to time, as the languid, long shots slowly wove together the delicate storyline. I felt silenced and humbled, and Water overwhelmed me completely, but in a beautiful way that I shall not forget for a while.
  
  Water tells the story of the pain and suffering that Hindu widows have had to suffer for time memorial due to oftentimes unfair diktats of their religious scriptures. The movie is set in the days of the British Raj, when the mindsets of the masses were still more or less firmly rooted in the past, and widows really had only one of three choices according to the Hindu religion: to burn themselves alive on their husband's pyre ("Sati"); to give up all material possessions and live completely frugally within a sisterhood of widows, or; in special circumstances, to marry the younger brother of the husband. This movie's plot revolves around three women in an "ashram" for widows on the banks of the holy river Ganga: one a young girl in her single-digit years who is widowed and sent to the ashram (played by Sarala), another a beautiful widow who is forced into providing the livelihood for the ashram by providing carnal pleasures to the local rich (Lisa Ray), and the third a woman who though not the head of the ashram, is in many ways the sense and strength of the ashram (Seema Biswas). The lives of these three women have become more or less settled in a groove, till a disruptive force appears in their midst in the form of a newly-turned Gandhian who wants to marry Lisa.
  
  To avoid any spoilers, I won't say much more directly about the plot. Instead let me just focus on other aspects of the film, and the feelings it evoked in me. The film has been well thought through in terms of the soundness of its story and the unrelenting hammering of its key message - the ludicrous blinding of faith and its infinite capacity for harm. The plot is highly predictable, but simple and effective, and the predictability does not detract from the film overall. Giles Nuttgens does a first rate job with the camera, creating beautiful and haunting images reminiscent in quality of Christopher Doyle's work in "In the Mood for Love". The music is effective, though Rahman could have done better.
  
  The acting deserves a separate paragraph altogether, so here goes: let me start by saying that even though I understand Deepa Mehta's desire to bridge "art" cinema with mainstream cinema, I still can't fathom how she manages to cast so terribly from the mainstream sometimes. Lisa Ray and John Abraham? OH GOD, GIVE US A BREAK! I love Lisa Ray's beauty, but can she act? And John? The result is that the acting in this movie is of two types: the outstanding, and the trash. The trash would be obvious by now, so let's talk about the other category. Sarala, in the role of Chuhiya, is a find. It never ceases to amaze me how children can be made to act at this level, but I guess some of them are just naturally gifted. The woman who steals the show however, is Seema Biswas, who delivers the performance of her life. She's done great work before, but nothing is even remotely comparable. I rate her performance in this film among the best I have ever seen on cinema - up there with Emily Watson's performance in "Breaking the Waves" and Gena Rowlands in "A Woman Under the Influence".
  
  Finally, Deepa does a brilliant job of bringing it all together, and while she was already a good director, I think she has truly arrived as a top-notch director on the global scene with this film.
  
  Do watch the film - you won't regret it.
  
  
• Blasphemy
  By A2Y0U61ZPFOWPP on 2006-07-05
  Don't you dare mention this film as comparable to Pather Panchali. The similarities are superficial and end there. It's like comparing Pee Wee's Big Adventure to The Bicycle Thief because they're both contain bikes.
  
  Don't get me wrong, it's beautifully shot and our heroes are just so darned pretty and we really really hope they get together. But all in all it's a predictable story that pushes some buttons. Having strong emotions because the director told you to is not the same as discovering those same emotions in the presence of great art. Seeing the injustice of 12-year-old brides makes me feel sad. But it's not the same depth of sadness I feel in the pivotal scene in Satyajit Ray's perfect and poetic film.
  
  Bottom line: It's good melodrama and an OK way to spend a couple hours, but it's effect is shallow and fleeting.
  
  
• The plight of child widows in 1938 India. Very sad.
  By A17FLA8HQOFVIG on 2006-09-03
  The story is set in 1938, when Mahatma Gandhi was starting to influence the people of India. The film opens with a young girl of eight riding in a cart next to a very sick man. We soon learn that this man is her husband, even though the marriage has not yet been consummated. The man dies and the little girl is confused as her head is shaved bald and she is forced to put on a white sari. Then she is taken to a "house of widows" where she is expected to live for the rest of her life. At first she rebels. But then she makes friends with women, one of whom is in her twenties and has been allowed not to shave her head because she is taken by a boat across the river to service wealthy men. Another one of the women is in her forties and even though she is a devoted Hindu, she questions the traditions that force widows to live in poverty and not let their shadow fall across that of a married woman. But the saddest of all is an old woman in her 90s, who has lived in this place since childhood. Widows are not allowed to eat sweets and can only eat one sparse meal a day, but this old lady only dreams of sweets and talks lovingly about her wedding feast where she had a wonderful time feasting on such treats. This was many years ago because she, too, was widowed in childhood.
  
  The little girl is a delight and soon she wins the hearts of all the women in the ashram. She also won my heart. And I could not help but be saddened by her plight and all her sister widows. The young woman with the long hair has a romance with a handsome young rich man who is a follower of Gandhi. It looks as if they can find happiness. But, alas, that is not to be. Often, it was hard to watch and I thought a little too much time was spent developing the romance between the couple. Also, some of the horrors were just repetitive and started to lose their impact. Basically, though, this is a really fine film.
  
  There was one thing that bothered me, however. This was the fact that none of these widows had children. I wanted to know more and spent more than an hour on Google trying to find out what happens to a widow with children. Does she take them with her to the Ashram? Does she live in the house with them? Does she have to leave them behind? These questions are still unanswered. It does seem that all of the widows in the film had been child brides with unconsummated relationships. I was waiting for them to talk about widows with children. But they never did, which, I think is a weakness of the film.
  
  I definitely recommend "Water" to anyone interested in the expanding his or her knowledge of the world's customs. There is really so much we don't understand. And, as the film faded to an end, a descriptive sentence on the screen informed us that there are over 34 MILLION widows living in India today. I can't help wondering how many are still living by the old rules. It is all so very sad.
  
  
• A Masterpiece
  By A11L5M4MJP00UW on 2006-09-20
  This is an absolutely stunning movie. It is gorgeously photographed which helps to offset the somewhat somber nature of the story. Have a box of Kleenix handy as this is an emotionally powerful movie. Those fundamentalists who threatened the life of the director and destroyed the sets and ultimately forced the movie out of India should be ashamed of themselves. I suppose they were upset because the movie exposed the harsh truth of how widows were treated in India (and perhaps some who still are treated this way). Sometimes the truth hurts and I think those who protested and fought against this movie do not truly believe that their treatment of widows is right and proper. If they did honestly believe it, they would have no problem at all with the movie which portrays it as it was (and perhaps still is, in some cases). They would have no shame if they truly believed they were right and just. Obviously they don't believe it is right, so it is something that must be hidden; a deep dark secret that makes them look bad. The interesting thing is that their protests probably made this movie better known than it would have been otherwise. Instead of keeping it from being made, they strengthened the resolve of the director to make this movie, as well as bringing more attention to it. I honestly don't think this movie is in any way detrimental to the religion or to the perception that people have of India. Would anyone get upset if a movie was made about the injustices that America perpetrated on black slaves or native Americans in our past (and sometimes even now)? That's doubtful. How is this any different?; it is set in the 30's, after all. Things have changed a lot since then in India, as they have in America and many countries. It's pathetic the way women are treated in some parts of the world. In many ways, India has changed for the better and is continuing to change, but there are still places in India where (sadly) it is hell to be a woman.
  
  
• a beautifully crafted hindi film
  By A32AK8FOAZEPE2 on 2007-02-15
  the culture burden, the taboo, the falsehood, the self-righteous, self-serving traditionally burdened old society, the heartless and cruel world created by the male. so many tragedies were generated and created by these elements, sometimes protected and praised by the conservatism of the social extremists who never consider that the heart of a human being is such free will existence, no matter how hard you tried to surpress and refrain it, it would set itself free in the end. the blind worship of the religions and gods have done a lot of good but at the same time, extremely bad and worst things are also created. 'fire', 'earth', then this 'water' as a trilogy of the struggles and suffers of the different classes in nowadays india, yet not just limited to that country only, it applied to almost every country with overly zestful religion belief. it's a tragedy created by we human beings only. no other animals or creatures have to deal with such trauma on a daily basis. and don't think valentine is not a bugging mind control tradition that now only served purely for commercial purpose. say amen, here., because that little girl finally escaped from her unwilling child-window condition but, for how long?
  
  
• The Raincloud Messenger
  By A12KU1JHYOOBX1 on 2006-05-07
  Set in India during the year 1938, this film follows the singular experience of Chuyia, a child widow. For religious purposes, Indian women were sent to a sanctuary to live out the rest of their lives. When married, women become part of their husbands and when the husbands depart, dearly or not, it is said a part of the women die. The film shows the harsh life of an unfair position; the women are reviled, pitied, and outcast. As Chuyia learns the way of the widows sanctuary, she makes unique relationships with the women there. It gives pause for thought to the identity and role of women and gratitude for changing times. It is a beautiful, touching, alarming, endearing film, giving the viewers a glimpse of a time and a culture in social and religious change.
  
  
• Well made film with nice cinematography
  By A2BM8YYKOWC8YG on 2006-07-18
  This is a well made film with really good cinematography and interesting characters. It is a shame that there were those who wanted to ban it and that violence had erupted because of it. Rather this should be used for discussion of which I feel compelled to participate in. There are certain choices in the film that can be questioned as misleading of which a quote is given in the beginning that is referring to what is claimed to be "Hindu scripture." Actually what is interesting is that the term "Hinduism" is falsely applied as the practices and philosophies are multi-faceted and yet do not apply any form of "social code" dictums or dogmas. The quote is from a book called the Manu Smrti, which though significant to many western academics, is barely insignificant to most Hindus. It was written quite late, after much of the colonization and is not very known among the majority of practitioners. In fact Hinduism does not fit with the term "religion" in the western/Abrahamistic sense of the word in that it is not have laws for it's practitioners to adhere to. Instead it gives an abstract term "dharma" which is an internal knowledge of the right action for the right time.
  
  But in the end, such practices towards widows did occur in India, though not widespread, and possibly for much different reasons than what is suggested by the film (In a previous film by Mehta, it is suggested that lesbianism "occurs" because of poor Hindu marriages rather than is an innate sexual preference). In actual scripture we find that the foundations of Hinduism is based on nature worship which exemplifies the female energy. Meanwhile western culture is based on the writings of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle who had very low regards towards women. Yet we do not focus on these aspects of our culture.
  
  Hopefully films like this will help humankind evolve to better people and especially treat women better all over the world.
  
  
• Best Indian movie I ever saw
  By AN70T7W7CDG2C on 2007-01-11
  And the only one I have seen. It is so good that I almost cried at the end but Im a man and men are never supposed to cry. As for women, they are different and are given another set of social rules. When they sleep around with men, they are called [...], when men do it, they are called players or playboys. My point is that men and woman are created differently and if there isnt something to clarify that difference and to explain it, there will be problems. Widows are looked upon differently in cultures. Some are respected and some are looked down upon. We need to follow our hearts and do what is right, regardless of what the social laws say.
  
  This movie is based upon the way people live and behave towards widows in India. The similarities with the Hindus of today and of Pre-Islamic Arabia is very close. The way that woman were dealt with before the advent of Islam was deplorable. To quote the Quran " Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness," 4:19. The reason why I am making this comparison of Islam and Hinduism is because they both were started more than a thousand years ago. I know that in some places, women who are Muslim are not treated fairly. If there is ever any mistreatment of Muslim woman, in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, it is because of their culture and not religion. I wish more people would see Islam in the light of what it preaches and not what some if it's followers do. Please watch Legacy of a Prophet on Dvd, if you can. Also Google Muslims in Texas and see an incredible video.
  
  
• Deeply moving film, but the moving is very slow
  By A3EOVXI1VZIHUQ on 2007-02-08
  Water is a moving story centered around the sad plight of widows in India (and although the film is set in the 1930s, it is mentioned at the end that millions of widows in India still live in this same fashion). A young Indian girl is widowed at the age of eight and moved to the house of widows to mourn for her husband's death the rest of her life. But this young girl begins to question the reasons for this mourning, creating quite a stir in the fundamentalist Hindu women.
  
  Although the cinematography is beautiful, the story moving, and the story of the film's creation a story of perseverance in itself, Water is lacking something to really move the plot along. It's just a rather slow film. If you're a very patient viewer who exults in slowly developed characters (don't confuse that for slowly developing character arcs, because unfortunately the characters are rather two dimensional), then you will likely enjoy this film, otherwise I think viewers will find themselves getting a bit bored.
  
  Not that the topic of the film is at all boring, in fact, it's wonderful to see such a socially conscious film being made, and watching the behind the scenes featurette and "the making of" featurette on the DVD really shows you how violently fundamentalist Hindus reacted to the production of this film. The production was delayed five years, completely recast, and moved from India to Sri Lanka. It's amazing that Deepa Mehta got this film made, and you can tell from the interviews on the DVD and from the film itself that it has a very special place in her heart.
  
  Obviously, it is a very highly regarded movie since it was nominated for Best Foreign Film, but it may be the back story of how the film got made that deserves the Oscar rather than the film itself. I'm not trying to be harsh. I appreciate what the filmmaker was trying to do. I just didn't find myself engrossed in the story.
  
  
• WATER:the completion of women's issues trilogy in India
  By ATXL536YX71TR on 2007-03-10
  The last and IMO the most powerful of writer/director Deepa Mehta's trilogy of films EARTH/FIRE/WATER examines,again, the plight of women,this time the widows in pre-Ghandi India of the late 1930's.Like all of Mehta's films,the pacing is exactingly slow allowing for complete fulfillment of the senses.WATER is perhaps the apex of the trilogy and should be savoured in it's totality AFTER viewing EARTH and FIRE.After viewing WATER a look at GHANDI will really complete the message that Deepa Mehta wants her viewers to take to heart.WATER also contains the finest soundtrack of the trilogy as well as the most use of the color .This film is a real understated stunner!!!!Nominated as 2006's Best Foreign Film, it was my choice far above the competition.
  
  
• An irritating film to watch
  By A3ORSUIY0SLV6X on 2007-06-10
  I realize that this is rather shallow, but I honestly had trouble enjoying this movie as a result of how poorly done the subtitles were. Not only is the default language setting of the DVD set to Hindi, but then even when you do get the subtitles turned on, they turn out to be barely readable and flash on the screen for a second at best. What good is beautiful imagery if you can't understand whats going on?
  
  
• Magnificent!
  By A2RAU617VTJMBX on 2006-05-27
  This haunting, brilliantly acted movie will stay with me for a long time. It was shocking to see the way that widows were treated less than 100 years ago and to realize with dismay that fundamentalists opposed the filming of this movie today!!!
  
  The whole concept of child brides is also repugnant. Very illuminating, beautiful photograpy and powerful acting. Makes you think about the clash between fundamentalism and progress. Highly recommened - definetly not a Hollywood type flick.
  
  Sigrid Mac
  
  
• POWERFUL HISTORY LESSON SHOULD BE REQUIRED VIEWING
  By A2PP4LTN1X64QW on 2006-07-02
  So many Americans are so blinded to world conditions and lack the time or interest to expand their thinking. Deepa Mehta powerfully shows continuing unjustice in India with compassion and love of country.
  
  I watched this film in an art theater in a Southern state with approximately 15 other people. We must widen our horizons to world understanding rather than smothering our brains with the warm blanket of slanted dogma.
  
  
• Beautifully filmed, well-acted, and thought-provoking
  By A1AD7XG92UXCC1 on 2006-08-29
  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.
  
  

• Fire
• Earth
• The Namesake
• Monsoon Wedding
• The Lives of Others