Water
User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 4 out of 23

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  1. BarbaraK.
    Jul 5, 2006
    2
    Tragedy as a perfume commercial.
  2. RichardR.
    Apr 30, 2006
    10
    Very Touching Story.
  3. ArielS.
    Apr 28, 2006
    10
    Excellent Canadian film, highly effective in using Hindi and actors from India. John Abraham is extremely handsome. Seema Biswas won the Canadian Genie Award for Best Actress for 2005. Lisa Ray is so etheral- a great Canadian Actress. The Little girl is so heart warming.
  4. RahulK.
    May 14, 2006
    5
    A somewhat perplexing and maddening movie that doesn't really deliver on the promises suggested by the advertising. Yes, the scenery and settings are evocative, and create a strong image of a time and place, but the plot is meandering and plodding, and drags much more than necessary. Compounding this problem-- or perhaps causing it-- the characters are not easy to relate to. They are like one-dimensional cookie-cutter fillers that fail to pull you into the plot enough to send a clear and powerful message, which is unfortunate because this is primarily a political story of social inequality; and while it gets the point across about the treatment of widows in India, it really struggles at making the point stick because the characters are the kind that dissolve from memory moments after the film ends. Furthermore, the use of a white woman as the female lead and an Anglicized Indian guy as the male lead seems dishonest in the context of the film, a naked attempt to market the film to a Western audience that left a bad taste in my mouth. Another facet of the film that is irksome is the film's poster, which brags about how "religious extremists" tried to obstruct production of the movie and kill the director. This creates the illusion that this movie is going to be revelatory or shocking or a monumental historical event, but this is not really the case. The claims may be true, but they are not accurate indicators of the content of the movie; you could easily watch through the whole film and not think twice about anything you saw, much less consider it a matter of serious controversy (unless you are already familiar with the moral codes of fundamentalist Hindus). Of all the scenes, the final is by far the most emotionally demanding, but it seems tacked-on and manipulative rather than poignant and meaningful. "Water" is a cinematic curiosity, certainly, if only for the insight into another time and place, but in most other aspects, it is a forgettable movie packaged in "exotic-foreign-movie" marketing and nice scenery. 2/5… Expand
  5. RiK.
    Aug 4, 2006
    5
    Attempts at creating an emotionally manipulative film were transparent. With a story that should have put a knot in my throat, I was left with only a sense of disgust with how the film was (unfittingly) made to look "beautiful". It's a very sad state of affairs when a formulaic quasi art film like this is the kind that gets P&A dollars to somehow break through, while there are so many genius American indies that we never get to see on the big screen, not to mention all the great foreign films that don't have to resort to cheesy love stories and "stylish" trick cinematography. It's even sadder that this film has received such a high meta score - is what is screened in American theaters these days so bad that "Water" is really so refreshing??? I believe this film is a crime to cinema. A ridiculous waste of gobs of money (production and marketing) only to ruin a truly interesting subject matter & potentially amazing story.… Expand
  6. ArnoldP.
    May 5, 2006
    10
    The director eexquisitely reveals the results of an ancient prejudice using a amazing cast to open our hearts. Great insight into India and humanity, where nothing is so strange we cannot identify with it. Runs the emotional range with an ending that made my spirit soar while my eyes filled with tears.
  7. JimG.
    Jun 12, 2006
    6
    This is the first movie where the depth of emotion conveyed left me thinking there were at least four lead characters. So many characters, so well developed. Though I know people want to make this a one-issue movie, I found it effective in simply telling the story of the individual characters, showing us the truths of their lives even if we don't know all the events that preceded or anything that follows.… Expand
  8. MikeT.
    Jun 2, 2006
    4
    I agree with Rahul -- very well stated! -- and with Tasha Robinson of the Onion. The movie was overly gorgeous, looking more like a TV commercial than a believable film story. And the surface beauty actually detracted from the important anti-religion message.
  9. PrudenceK.
    Jul 29, 2006
    10
    Easily the funniest and saddest films of the year! I don't know. Sometimes I didn't know what was going on, I am fluent in Hindi though... so that was cool! I thought it was good when they cut her hair, it was so sad! I cried at that part. Oh! And I loved when they played with the dog, that was so cute! But it was mean when they cut her hair. But that lady was so mean! She was big! And she was obsessed with that bird! It was so weird! Cool film!… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    90
    Exquisite storytelling, acting and visuals.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Eddie Cockrell
    90
    Deftly balancing epic sociopolitical scope with intimate human emotions, all polished to a high technical gloss, Deepa Mehta's Water is a profoundly moving drama.
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  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Bill Gallo
    100
    This work of gorgeous fury, about the virtual imprisonment of millions of Hindu widows in the years before independence, transforms Mehta's feminist rage into an eloquent testament to the hunger for freedom.
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