Water (2005)

The movie Water is about Chuyia, a child bride whose husband recently passed away. She is sent to live in an ashram in Varanasi with other widows for the rest of her life. In the ashram, Chuyia meets another young and beautiful widow, Kalyani. The ashram's leader, Madhumati, pimps the Chuyia and Kalyani to rich Brahmin gentlemen. Narayan, one of Gandhi's followers, ends up falling deeply in love with Kalyani. In the end, Kalyani runs away from the ashram to marry Narayan, but ends up finding out that his father was one of her previous clients. After finding out that Narayan's father was her old client, she decides to drown herself in the Ganges River. After being abused, Chuyia escapes with the help of Shakuntala, another one of the widows. I really liked the fact that the movie was in Hindi because it made it seem more realistic and not just like another Hollywood movie. I feel like this movie is very beneficial to watch because you can learn a lot about what the traditions were like back in the 1930s. I would definitely recommend this movie to other people because enjoyable, yet educational at the same time.

From the first electrifying moments when an eight year old bride is told her husband is dead and her head must be shaved and she must leave home to the boffo finish, this is a spectacularly photographed, moving drama about human potential wasted by traditions no longer viable.As with so many historical epics based on some kind of truth, every single incident cannot be accurate, and any film questioning religion of any kind is bound to have detractors--that said, there should be no question that the treatment of children and widows in this film is reprehensible.In this deeply felt film, love of all kinds also manages to flourish amid the squalor, whether the love of a outcast for her dog, or of a formally educated lawyer for a simple country girl condemned to a vow of poverty. This is a stunning film in many ways, capturing a glorious feeling of 1938 India (although it was actually filmed in Sri Lanka). It's an admirable story, well told.

map of a world. delicate touch. and little waves of cry. a film about rules of tradition. about innocence, sufferance, evil as soul mist, sacrifice, love and hope. it is not a movie about India. it is only story about yourself. because the facts are not part of an only cultural space. because intolerance is food and protection for many people . because the basic elements of cruelty and lost of compassion are not accidents. or isolated pieces. because all is simple. and delicate. a girl. a strange world of a kind of ashram. a young man. his girl friend. a train. and one passenger, for late moment, the girl. nothing more. as letters of a testimony without end.

Water is set near the river through the city of Varansi.Chuyia, who is about 8 or 9 years when the man she married died, although she does not remember her him. Conforming to Hindu customs she is taken to a house of widows to live out her life - although she does not want to go.The house is dominated by two women - the fat domineering Madhumati and the strong, confident head of the house, Shakuntala. In the house, she also meets the beautiful Kalyani - who secretly owns a puppy which she shares with Chuyia. One day, the puppy runs of, and Chuyia runs in pursuit. Narayan catches the puppy and brings him back to Kalyani and is struck by her.Naryan comes from a very rich family and is becoming a lawyer, and is also a progressive and follower of Mohandas Gandhi. He wants India to modernise and to be freed from the traditions he thinks are backwards. So he is willing to break to taboos against widows.Thus, the romance between Kalyani and Narayan starts.Central to the film, are the problems and stigmata faced by the widows. Since they can't work, they must beg to survive. This is often not enough, so Madhumati pimps out the pretty widows to wealthy men in the city. And sometimes the girls being pimped out are very young.When Chuyia first meets Madhumati, she remarks that she was Chuyia's age when she first came to the house of widows. Later, remarks that her husband died when was first having sex with her - indicating that one of the problems is the sexual exploitation of children.There are many cultural and political reference that I was not able to understand. The cultural include the tree under which Kalyani and Narayan embrace.The political element is also very strong - the veneration of Mohandas Gandhi and the Congress Party as the saviours of India. There were also many religious references and comments that I did not understand, that made the film controversial. This is also given away by the quoting of statistics at the end of the film.The cinematography, the soundtrack and the acting were all brilliant. It was tightly directed and very well paced. Deepa Mehta has certainly shown her talents as a director, and I will endeavor to see more of her films.