September 24, 2001

By Veronica Mixon

Shohei Imamura's Warm Water Under a Red Bridge is a quirky new film about life's renewal and feminine power. The director of Stolen Desire, Pigs and Battleships, The Pornographers and The Eel premieres his latest film at 39th New York Film Festival.

Businessman, Yosuke Sasano (Koji Yakushho The Eel, Eureka) is out of work and he's wandering the streets constantly looking for work. He meets a homeless man, Taro (Kazuo Kitamura), who tells him that long ago, he stole a golden Buddhist statue from a temple and hid it in a house in Kyoto. After the man's death, Sasano decides to travel to Kyoto hoping to find the statue. Once he arrives in town, he encounters a mysterious young woman who is shoplifting at the local supermarket. When she loses an earring in a pool of water, Sasano follows her home and returns it.

He discovers that Saeko (Misa Shimizu The Eel, Second Chance) lives at the seduced house near the river with her grandmother (Mitsuko Baisho). Saeko suffers from a peculiar ailment, she sprouts warm water when she's physically aroused and the water is so powerful that flowers bloom and fish swim up stream just to reach her house. Intrigued by her delightful sensuality and caring, Sasano decides to stay in town. Saeko is a wonderful change from his bitter wife who has given up on him. Naturally, he finds a job. Sasano temporarily forgets about the golden statue which is hidden somewhere in Saeko's house. Instead, he begins to adjust to a new life and love. In fact, he quickly becomes obsessed with Saeko and he's started when another homeless man, Gen (Manasaku Fuwa) arrives hoping to cash in. While the mystery of the hidden treasure is revealed, Sasano has discovered something greater than wealth. Love has renewed his spirit.

While Warm Water Under a Red Bridge moves at a slow pace, there are some marvelous human touches in the film. This is the first movie, in this reviewer's memory, where sexuality has been so openly expressed in a Japanese film. Imamura deliberately makes the woman powerful by highlighting not only her physical beauty, but also the power that the female body produces. The water nurtures everything around it besides adding to the delight of the physical act. Also, Sasano, who is middle-aged and tired, is refreshed and eager to prove his prowess. The film is a wonderful celebration of women - in the past for the steadfast loyalty and in the present for their open sensuality and continued nurturing nature.

A friend of mine, who is a black male critic, has blasted the film as just another portrayal of a violent, ignorant black man but I think any display of adolescent emotional life is important and valiant - especially when you consider the state of teen movies today. I understand his feelings but I still recommend this film because I think it's an intriguing adaptation.