Water

I heard of the film Water by Deepa Mehta probably last year when it came out in theatres, but didn’t see it at the time. I finally picked it up at the library and watched it this morning. I can’t say why, but part of me wasn’t that excited about watching it. Boy, did I call that one wrong.

Water is about Chuyia, an 8-year-old newly-widowed girl, that goes to live in a home with others who have lost their husbands. It is about Kalyani, a young woman and the love that she can never have. It is about Shakuntala, who struggles with the conflict between her deep faith and saddening reality. Set in 1930s India, Water is a glimpse into the lives of widows at that time, whose unfortunate situations apparently still continue today.

Watch the trailer; see the movie. If you like subtitled films and something that makes you think, this is a good one. Don’t forget to read the notes in the Production section on this site, too. Water is the last of Mehta’s elemental trilogy, the other films being Fire and Earth. I haven’t seen the others yet, but now I really want to.