Still the Water

This film is about life and death and love, about existence itself. It talks to us from a far away island surrounded by the Ocean. Of course if you want to perceive such things you must open your mind, listen very carefully and most important you must take your time. Because the film goes slowly, with a pace we are not used to and that you could hate in the beginning or that could make you fall asleep.

Since most things pass through your eyes the director has to show you what you must see: trees, faces, waves… and the camera lingers on these things the time needed to make sure that your feelings are correctly oriented and you are ready to understand.

I'm not sure that everybody is going to like it. Me? Personally I loved it (after a while). And in the end I thought that the Author was correct about everything... for example: aren't kisses the hallmark of love?

I am a big admirer of Japanese cinema, film makers like Kurusawa, Koreeda, Oshima Imamura and the list goes on. And also from time to time I enjoy slow cinema, but in the case of Naomi Kawase Still The Water and her other previous film "Mourning Forest" for witch reasons i don't understand why the jury awarded it the grand prize there were far better films competing that year like Russia's entry and brilliant The Banishment. Still the water had an interesting concept for a great story and its tropical location and beautiful cinematography, still the screenplay falls flat the characters seem to sleepwalk through the whole film. I truly believe Naomi makes film for her and friends and she is unaware that audiences outside her realm are falling asleep to her films. i give this film a D.

Death, love, commitment...the movie treats those question in a very human rhythm, and surprises you in its deepness. I was moved to tears.

It's set in a paradisaical coast of a Japanase island, full of light and sea. The actors are impressively true and beautiful.

Japanase music being played and sang was a real plus too. The few scenes happening in Tokyo were a really good reflection to appreciate better the lifestyle in that countryside.

the last third of the movie was maybe a little bit slow to reveal itself, but it saved some great scenes and was matching the rest of it.

It's also socially and culturally very enriching and interesting. Leaves you with true surprises about the way these kids behave towards losing someone, towards relationships, etc.

If you have to tell a story of one day of your life in extreme detail, life is exciting, an action movie? No, life is a big big boredom.

The beautifull slow pace of Japanese movies ads an extra boredom that characterises most of a human life.

This is a extremelly cinematic beautifull movie since the beginning till the last poetic frame.

It's an art movie were several folklore aspects are explored.

It's about growing up and how sometimes teenagers are curious about life and drama queens. Knowing along the way that death is part of life.

It shows some raw pictures that are also part of life and they are the ones that curiously take the boredom of it away (even without guns).

It's a recomended movie if you want to get in touch with Japanese culture and you are an art lover.

Disregard the bubble gum chewing burgers with attention deficit disorder whining about this movie being "boring". Sure, it is slow paced. But it's a very profound and beautiful allegory about nature and life. If you cannot appreciate the poetry of this film, I'm afraid your soul has been rotted away or you never had one.