"Warm Water Under a Red Bridge," a film by celebrated Japanese director Shohei Imamura, is showing at the 15th annual Virginia Film Festival in collaboration with OFFScreen, a film organization composed of University students. This year's festival theme is "Wet," and "Warm Water" undoubtedly encompasses every aspect of that word.
Yosuke (Koji Yakusho) is a recently fired businessman who desperately needs a new job. Though we know he's part of an unhappy marriage, the audience never actually sees his wife on screen. She does, however, make relentless and pesky phone calls to him throughout the movie.
Out of luck, Yosuke one day stops to talk with a philosopher (Kazuo Kitamura) beside the river, and the old man tells him about a treasure hidden away in a house on the river near the red bridge. Yosuke, heeding the philosopher's advice, leaves Tokyo in search of the fabled house.
Finding the house, Yosuke observes its inhabitant, Saeko (Misa Shimizu). Yosuke follows her to a supermarket, where he sees her steal cheese, then stand in a puddle of liquid at the local market. Yosuke then follows her back to her house, where he confronts her. Saeko knows that he witnessed her theft, and begins to explain her "condition."
Saeko must do "something wicked," like stealing, in order to "vent" her body from the swelling liquid inside of her. Hence the puddle at the market. Saeko and Yosuke then have sexual intercourse to relieve the tension of the water. When she "erupts," the water gushes like a fountain, all over their clothes, the windows and the floor, finally traveling down the drain and into the river, where fish thrive.
At this point, you might need to take a little breather, some time to soak it in. Sorry for the pun. But getting past all of the shock value of Saeko's condition, underneath it is a comical and often moving story of life and love.
Saeko is ashamed of her condition, and she implores Yosuke to believe that her water isn't urine. Yosuke, to her surprise, enjoys the experience, and he offers his assistance to her whenever she needs to be vented. Soon after Yosuke's first encounters with Saeko, he becomes an accomplished fisherman and a more confident man.
Saeko's water gives him strength, honor and, eventually, love. He discovers that the true treasure hidden in her house is not physical. Her water provides a replenishing supply of water to the river, and growth and life to the fish living there. Saeko's water works to provide life and growth to all facets of her town.
Over the course of the film, Yosuke continues to relieve Saeko's swelling, but the amount of water released becomes less and less with each encounter. The audience is led to believe that Yosuke serves as Saeko's cure of a lifetime of embarrassment and tension. This provides conflict in the film -- Saeko begins to feel that Yosuke only loves her for her water.
Both lead actors are believable and entertaining. The audience understands Saeko's problem through her body language and her line delivery, empathizing with her condition and eager to understand her problem. The supporting cast is exceptional in helping evoke a fairy tale atmosphere.
Imamura's depiction of Saeko's condition is matter-of-fact. He doesn't portray the erupting water as strange or disgusting. Indeed, he treats it like an everyday occurrence. The audience is therefore pressured to treat it similarly. Saeko's water may be odd, but in the world of the film, it is not at all out of the ordinary.
Water obviously is a prominent motif in the film. Clearly, the motif includes the water that Saeko leaks. But more importantly, the water is the source of life for the village. As a fisherman on the water, Yosuke brings in food for the town, and the river serves as a source for water, food and leisure activities.
The movie's inclusion in this year's Film Festival is apparent. Water and wetness saturate the film. And once you accept Saeko's absurd condition, you will be able to enjoy and appreciate "Warm Water Under a Red Bridge."
The movie will be shown at 10 p.m. Thursday at Regal Cinema in Downtown Charlottesville.
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