Water

05.18.10
Water
(2005)

"To talk about the truth is easy but to live by it is not."

Water was a film being shown at a Foreign Film Festival in Spokane, so i was pleasantly able to view this film on the big screen. It is a story of the plight of Indian widows under the religious repression of Hindu culture. Widows in the time before the revolution of Gandhi were considered "half dead," when their husband dies they must go into hiding till the end of their days. Water is about a small nine year old girl named Chuyia, who although she cannot even remember her husband, must live in constant grief of his death in separation from society. Chuyia meets many interesting people along the way, one of these being a wealthy man and follower of Gandhi who wishes to wed one of the widows that lives with Chuyia. The struggle of men and women trying to overcome religious constraints in order to live a happier healthier life is the focal point of this movie. The end scene, although heart wrenching, is leading the viewer to a hopeful belief in a better life for the survivors of the system.