Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (2001)

A down-and-out businessman travels to a seaside town, where he meets a woman with unusual sexual powers.

Director:

Shôhei Imamura

Writers:

Yo Henmi (novel), Shôhei Imamura

Stars:

Kôji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Mitsuko Baishô

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Kôji Yakusho	...	Yosuke Sasano
Misa Shimizu	...	Saeko Aizawa
Mitsuko Baishô	...	Mitsu Aizawa
Mansaku Fuwa	...	Gen
Isao Natsuyagi	...	Masayuki Uomi
Yukiya Kitamura	...	Shintaro Uomi
Hijiri Kojima	...	Mika Tagami
Toshie Negishi	...	Tomoko Sasano
Sumiko Sakamoto	...	Masako Yamada
Taka Guadalcanal	...	Taizo Tachibana
Mickey Curtis	...	Nobuyuki Ohnishi
Takao Yamada	...	Kazuo Namamura
Katsuo Nakamura	...	Takao Yamada
Kazuo Kitamura	...	Taro

Storyline

An impossible tale. Taro, an old man who dies homeless in Tokyo has told Yosuke, a weak-willed out-of-work salaryman about a golden statue that he left years ago in a house by the sea in Noto. Yosuke goes and he's captivated by Saeko, a young women who lives in the house where Taro left the statue. She has a strange affliction: water builds up in her and she can only vent it by wicked acts, such as shoplifting, or, more powerfully, through orgasm. Yosuke obliges, the water gives him life, as well as the plants and fish it reaches. Saeko feels shame, and she has a past. Taro's ghost urges Yosuke to fulfill his desires, but can the relationship survive?

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Plot Keywords:

statue | water | shoplifting | desire | female ejaculation | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Nikkatsu Corporation [Japan]

Country:

Japan France

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

3 November 2001 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Lauw water onder een rode brug

Filming Locations:

Japan

Box Office

Gross USA:

$71,094

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$453,754

Company Credits

Production Co:

BAP Inc., Catherine Dussart Productions (CDP), Comme des Cinémas

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min 122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shôhei Imamura's last film before his death in 2006.

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Connections

References Dr. Akagi (1998)

User Reviews

Entertaining if light

I was eager to see WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE - from the description on the back of the DVD I wasn't really expecting this to be THE EEL or BLACK RAIN but if it's junk, it is very well-crafted junk. The story (well commented upon below) is quirky/kinky and provocative, which is well-handled, and a few scenes were hilarious. The cinematography is beautiful - Imamura's films always have a very striking look, and on this front this film doesn't disappoint. WARM WATER... has a strong 'magic realist' quality - more than anything it reminded me a bit of some of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez' novels (if only Imamura had stuck in a failed insurgency or a grandmother floating into the sky). I didn't always know what to make of it - the mix of realism, quirkiness, kink, cuteness, humor, small-town mundanity and erotic strangeness all taken at once made me wonder what if anything Imamura might be trying to say (aside from the fact that reality can be strange and life doesn't fit so neatly into compartments). So - no masterpiece, but fans of Imamura won't want to miss it.