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The Eel

7.0

2,383

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Original title

Unagi

Year

1997

Running time

117 min.

Country

Japan

Director

Shôhei Imamura

Screenwriter

Shôhei Imamura, Motofumi Tomikawa, Daisuke Tengan

Cast

Music

Shinichirô Ikebe

Cinematography

Shigeru Komatsubara

Producer

KSS, Imamura Productions

Genre

Drama

Synopsis

The film opens with Takuro Yamashita (Koji Yakusho), a seemingly normal salaryman, learning that his wife might be having an affair. When he catches the couple in flaganto delicto, he freaks out and brutally stabs them both to death. Eight years later, Yamashita is released on parole into the care of a Buddhist priest living in rural Chiba prefecture. Far away from his former life, yet still plagued with memories of his crime, Yamashita decides to start anew by opening a barbershop on a quiet road next to a canal. Though inward looking and self-conscious, he eventually befriends a bumptious but good-hearted day laborer, and a construction worker who's obsessed with UFOs. His most fateful encounter though is with a woman named Keiko (Misa Shimizu), who he discovers unconscious following a suicide attempt. Looking to put a few of her own demons to bed, Keiko decides to stay in this sleepy corner of Japan and help her savior with his barbershop. Initially against the idea -- she bears a striking resemblance to his dead spouse -- he eventually agrees and even grows to like having her around.

Awards: 1997: Cannes Film Festival: Best Film - Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) (ex-aequo)

1998: Independent Spirit Awards: Nominated for Best Foreign Film

1998: Premios de la Academia Japonesa: 3 awards. 14 nominations

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Critics' reviews

"Unpredictable and captivating."

Kevin Thomas: Los Angeles Times
"I was once again stuck watching a movie that's solely about repressed passion, perhaps the least cinematic thing you could ever try to film."

Paul Tatara: CNN
"A flash of quiet brilliance that resonates long after the images have faded from the screen."

Marc Savlov: Austin Chronicle
"Yakusho and Ms. Shimizu deliver unerring performances in a splendid film that harvests hope from a bleak landscape."

Lawrence Van Gelder: The New York Times
"A viewer may even blink his eyes to be sure the turn of events is actually happening."

Bob Graham: SFGATE
"Imamura, like many older directors, has evolved a style of wonderful simplicity, lucidity and economy, cutting to the marrow of events, switching moods with effortless ease"

Michael Wilmington: Chicago Tribune
"The accomplishment of 'The Eel' is to be both sardonic and compassionate - often at the same time"

Desmond Ryan: Philadelphia Inquirer
"While the symbolism of the eel itself is a bit obvious, Imamura has created a rich tapestry of characters and situations, all of it vividly brought to life with pristine visuals and a generous emotional warmth."

David Stratton: Variety

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User history

The Eel

1997

Shôhei Imamura

7.0

(2,383)