-Water-

I have noticed something about films these days, and I find that there is this tendency to have movies be about complete nonsense… some of them are about things that will, in no way, broaden ones horizons or educated a person to any extent. I came across the film Water, in my religion class actually, and I learned so much… not only is it a very well rounded movie from a cinematography angle… it also teaches you so much about Hindu practice and the way in which people live differently from ourselves.

I loved this film, its cinematography, acting and Deepa Mehtas’ depth of knowledge, made this movie absolutely outstanding. The way in which the movie is filmed from the way in which Chuyia laughs turns this movie into an intriguingly moving film.

The cinematography in this film is fantastic; there is a sense of rareness to the way this film is shot. For example, the opening scene is shot from an extremely low, wide angle, on the ground. This creates a beautifully wide shot of the land, giving an idea of the setting that is held throughout the entire plot. The transition from the ground to Chuyia in the cart is accompanied by role focus and dolly actions. This advanced cinematography adds to the quality of this wonderful film.

The young actress that plays Chuyia is the reason why this movie can evoke such vast amounts of emotion from a person. Chuyia's character is innocent and unaware but this never holds her back from being feisty and curious. The acting that takes place during the shaving of Chuyia’s head evoked the most emotion from me. The way that she sat there in such silence and confusion, as a stranger took away such an important part of her, pained me and brought tears to my eyes. She did not understand why it was happening but she knew that it was a part of her life that she had no choice but to deal with.

This film left me with a great deal of knowledge about certain threatening and non threatening Hindu practices and the politics that go on surrounding some of theses practices. I learned that Hindu’s practice their religion by doing things such as praying in the “Holy Water” of the lake, wearing prayer necklaces and repeating prayers over and over again, and celebrating their lives and their God through festivals of colour.
I also learned that women who have been sent to ashrams, because of the death of their husbands, are seen as disgusting and useless. It is said that they are not to come in contact with woman who are getting married because it will curse the young bride and make her unclean.

I love this film and I find it fascinating that I was able to learn so much from it. I recommend that everyone takes a look at it. It helps to open your eyes to more then the narrow paths in your life and gives you the opportunity to travel the paths of others. It also helps you to appreciate how much you have and to be thankful for it all.

-FiN- ... TracieEV