Water

Deepa Mehta, India, 2006, 114 minutes

Water, the last film in director Mehta trilogy based loosely around the elements following Fire and Earth, is the story of a young girl who is widowed and sent off to live in penitence in a 1930's widow's ashram. Her feisty presence and refusal to accept her fate as a widow begins to affect the lives of the other residents forcing them to question both their future and faith.

Extremely moving, Water uses the story of a group of widows to highlight more general issues with modern society. Seventy years after Gandhi preached that God is not the Truth, but the Truth is God, there are still many issues with the treatment of women in Indian society due to intepretations of religion that do not uphold the principles of any faith. Although not as overtly political as Mehta's previous two films, it still caused controversy during filming and required production to be moved from India to Sri Lanka.

The films slim plot revolves around some key characters: as well as Chuyia, we meet the defiant young widow who falls for a Gandhian idealist, the "mother" of the group who pimps out the girls to bring in income for them all, and the devout Hindu who comes to question some of the teachers of her faith. That this works as a film, rather than just a political statement is due to the outstanding performances by the actresses, in particular Sarala as Chuyia and Lisa Ray as Kalyani. Praise must also be given to Mehta who applies a light touch, lets her actresses shine and concentrates on bringing a dreamlike touch to the lighting and cinematography.

It is a tragedy that what should be a historical record is still relevent today; like The Magdalene Sisters, which highlighted the barbaric practices of washhouses for young women, Water shows us that many things don't change because a minority benefit from them. Deservedly nominated for an Oscar, Water is a film which will move you to question the way you treat others in society.

Review by Neil Chue Hong
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2007