User reviews

A movie from 75 year old director Shohei Imamura. First observation - it's definitely not the steamy sex-romp that the Hong Kong DVD case might have you believe. Far from it in fact. It's quite a gentle, very quirky somewhat philosophical character driven romance.

A man in his fourties loses his job when the company he works for goes bankrupt. In Japan, with the tradition of 'employment for life', this is not a hard situation to be in - especially with an estranged wife and child nagging for money. On something like a whim he travels to a small village to follow the directions of a friend that just passed away, who told him of a treasure that he left behind 40 years ago, in a house by a red bridge. When he arrives, he meets the woman that now lives in the house and through rather unusual circumstances ends up in bed with her. The woman has a strange secret, a source of shame - and the source of the 'Warm Water' under the Red Bridge. The two embark on a peculiar relationship, and when the man gets a temporary job on a fishing boat he begins to blend in and adapt to the small village way of life.

The movie is a slightly surreal meditation on life and love, and what is really of value in each of them. The message is an encouragement of individuality and independence of thought, an affirmation that 'strange' and 'different' are words closer to 'good' than 'bad'. The characters are all a little bit tragic, beaten down by life, but in their own community they find that life can be beaten back.

It's a slow paced movie, quite touching and gently funny. It's mostly character & dialogue driven, and both are well developed. I believe it's based on a novel, which usually does imply good character and dialogue if the director has enough skill to adapt a written work to a visual one. After nearly 50 years in the business, Imamura clearly has that skill.

Yosuke Sasano is a salaryman in Tokyo who is let go from his job at an architectural firm. Struggling in his marriage and low on capital, he spends his days at the riverside, chatting with the homeless. He makes friends with an old man, who tells him about a treasure he left many years ago in the small fishing town of Himi, in Toyama Prefecture. Following the old man's death, Yosuke travels to Himi to try and find the treasure, though after meeting a local lady named Saeko, he finds something worth much more to him than any material object could ever be.

Directed by Shohei Imamura and based on Yo Henmi's novel of the same name, 'Warm Water Under a Red Bridge' is a charming romantic-comedy as original as it is strange. The screenplay- written by Imamura, Daisuke Tengan and Motofumi Tomikawa- examines several themes, not least of which is the search for happiness and meaning in life, as well as the connection between nature and human sexuality. Although realistic, the film has fantasy elements, and suggests that there is a mystical, spiritual force that binds all living things together, and that humans can tap into this force through love and pleasure.

Yosuke is dissatisfied with his urban existence and feels alienated from society. Through his search for the hidden loot, he discovers that real treasure is not material, but spiritual. He finds a new sense of purpose in the simple life of the fishing village, and in his passionate relationship with Saeko, who possesses a most extraordinary sexual gift. This gift has a miraculous effect on the environment, bringing life and fertility to the land and sea, linking everything that lives, grows and breathes together in a rapturous harmony.

There are also a myriad of sub-plots and minor characters who undergo their own arcs, such as a Korean fisherman who was discriminated against by the Japanese, an African runner, a transgender bar-owner and an old woman who survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Through their stories of hardship and triumph, the film celebrates the diversity and resilience of human beings, emphasising the importance of individuality and determination.

'Warm Water Under a Red Bridge' is shot by frequent Imamura collaborator Shigeru Komatsubara, whose striking work captures the contrast and harmony between the urban and rural settings, the natural and artificial elements, as well as the realistic and fantastical aspects of the story. Through his use of long shots, close-ups, tracking shots and handheld cameras, he creates a dynamic and immersive visual experience for the viewer. His work enhances the film's themes of transition and connection, showing how Yosuke and Saeko cross over to a different world and discover a new way of living and loving.

It is a film full of symbolism, with the titular red bridge being most notable symbolically, representing the transition between different worlds and states of being. The bridge can be seen as connecting many things: the urban and rural, the modern and traditional, the mundane and magical and the repressed and the liberated. It could also be seen as a visual metaphor for the sexual union between Yosuke and Saeko, as they cross over to a new realm of pleasure and intimacy. It is also worth remembering that the colour red has a variety of meanings in Japanese culture, including happiness, life and passion. Komatsubara juxtaposes the red bridge with the blue water beneath it, creating a striking visual effect, again reflecting the film's themes of contrast and harmony.

Furthermore, Shinichiro Ikebe's score is both playful and poignant, capturing the humour and emotion of the story, whilst also reflecting and enhancing its themes. He utilises various instruments- such as the piano, strings, woodwinds, percussion and synthesizers- to create a rich and diverse musical landscape, while also incorporating some motifs from the film, such as the sound of running water. In addition, Hajime Okayasu's tight editing keeps proceedings moving at a swift pace, and Hisao Inagaki's muted production design is striking and commendable.

'Warm Water Under a Red Bridge' finds the always reliable Koji Yakusho starring as Yosuke, opposite Misa Shimizu as Saeko. Yakusho- arguably one of the best actors working today, in and outside of Japan- delivers a nuanced and empathetic performance, endearing himself to the audience from the get-go, and inducing laughs and tears along the way. Shimizu does similarly fine work as the quirky Saeko, handling both the dramatic and comedic aspects of her character with equal aplomb. They share a wonderful chemistry, and co-stars Mitsuko Baisho, Mansaku Fuwa and Isao Natsuyagi support them masterfully.

A riveting watch from start to finish, Shohei Imamura's 'Warm Water Under a Red Bridge' is a captivating romantic-comedy both weird and wonderful. Boasting striking cinematography from Shigeru Komatsubara laden with symbolism, a delicate and amusing score from Shinichiro Ikebe and subtle production design from Hisao Inagaki, it is both a visual and aural spectacle. Stars Koji Yakusho and Misa Shimizu deliver power-house performances, which are matched by their supporting players. A delightful, original gem, 'Warm Water Under a Red Bridge' has plenty to gush about.

This film is not a as good as Imamura's "The Eel", but is hauntingly memorable. The plot leaves a bit to be desired ,but the characters and the situations are engaging and intriguing. Like "The Eel" the film is populated by people outside of mainstream society, misfits and "losers", but all the more endearing for it. The film is full of memorable vignettes, the fishermen by the river, the couple who run the guest-house, the family run fishing business and the African runner. All of these characters and situations have hand in the transformation of the central character's transformation from unhappy salaryman, trapped by mainstream society, to an outsider with a new found freedom. This and "The Eel" have similar qualities to the films of Julio Medem. A sort of Japanese magical realism.

Warm Water Under a Red Bridge directed by the prolific Shohei Imamura follows the life of Yosuke Sasano played by Koji Yakusho. The film has many rich layers and mythic qualities. After losing his job, Yosuke seeks advice from a vagrant wise man name Taro, played by Kazuo Kitamura. Taro ultimately sends Yosuke on a quest to find a hidden golden budda statue. Itfs not so much the statue thatfs important we learn when Yosuke travels to a small fishing village to a house beside the red bridge where we meet Saeko Aizawa who befriends Yosuke to releases her body of water from her very strange condition.

The filling water in Saeko body symbolizes her loneliness and her heaviness of heart to find someone in her life. The gag where Yosuke relieves Seikofs water is fun the first time but soon becomes repetitive. The characters in the story are disjointed from each other but this is not nessearly a bad thing since Imamura has so much to show us. For instance there is a subplot involving an African marathon runner which is used clearly for comic relief but and has nothing to do with the rest of the story. But its characters like this that adds multiple dimensions to the story that really make it memorable.

One thing that confused me was that there was a scene of Saeko almost drowned in the river when she was small and it makes audience imagine that it was probably the cause of flood in her body. However, in the end of the movie we will know that her grandma also had the same sexual predisposition contradicting the river scene.

Overall the film is worth watching for the quirkiness of the characters. A man who just lost his job, homeless people, fishermen, a senile old lady, an African marathon runner, there are a lot of unique characters in this movie. They are people at the bottom of the Japanese social pyramid and something we usually do not see in the movie. The story is a kind of silly, erotic, and funny. Although not a perfect film the fountain spewing sex scenes will be remembered for a long time.

In many ways this is a distinctively Imamura's film. It contains many of the themes characteristic of his oeuvre: His obsession with sex, women and Japanese mythology. WWURB's story somehow mirrors Unagi. The main character of both films, a salariman, for different reasons end up leaving the city for the countryside and establish a relationship with strange women and with the peculiar villagers. But these similarities can also be applied to any of his other films. With a persistent disregard for a clear and logical narrative, many of his films amount to anecdotes and observations made by the characters, some of them appearing and disappearing inexplicably. Take as example the Insect Woman or The Pornographers in the 60s or the historical films Zegen and Eijanaika that he made in the 80s. Imamura has portrayed sex, in most of his films, as something positive even beneficial and in several ones he has acknowledged incest (Insect Woman, The Pornographers and The Profound Desired of the Gods) as part of traditional rural Japan without criticising it. In WWURB Taro (Kitamura Kazuo), the homeless who Yosuke (Yakusho Koji), recently unemployed, befriends seems to be Imamura's alter ego. He advises Yosuke to have sex as much as he can as long as he can keep his instrument up and explains of the beneficial (physically and mentally) qualities of sex and its importance throughout the history of humanity. Sex is closely linked with nature and being suggested as the main essence of life. The film also points to the power of women, so the enormous amount of water produced by Saeko (Shimizu Misa), when having sex with Yosuke, that falls in the river seems to be so rich that attracts fish and seagulls. Saeko's body fluids can also the solution for the purification of the contaminated river. An attempt to cure the river was made by her mother, the village's shaman but was ostracised by the villagers for her use of unscientific methods. Eventually she drowned in the river when trying to perform a ritual. Saeko's grandmother Mitsu (Mitsuko Baisho) seems to possess some sort of clairvoyant power. The conflict between, and eventual loss of, ancestral beliefs (pre-Shinto and pre-Buddhist culture) and modern Japan is also another important characteristic of Imamura's work. In early Japan women, as some were actually shamans, took an active role in religious, social and political matters. Things changed with the advent of Buddhism (religion) and Confucianism (politics and social ethics).

Yosuke is warned by some villagers that he will dry up and lose his vital essence if he keeps on having his sexual encounters with Saeko. He is an outsider from modern Japan, Tokyo, who gets involved with women that represent primitive Japan, a Japan of sexual freedom, finally accepting their customs and beliefs. As Taro tells Yosuke "Drown yourself in a woman's arms, be faithful to your desires without worrying about daily cares." In this sense he is like Kariya, an engineer from Tokyo, who goes to Kurage, a Southern island of Japan, in "The Profound 'Desire' of the Gods". He is believed to be a "god from overseas" by the island's community. After showing little concern for local customs and traditions he marries Toriko, a retarded young woman who epitomised primitive Japan, all sexual freedom, and sister of the island's shaman. So WWURB is certainly a charming, sometimes funny, sometimes kinky film but that lacks the power, challenge and innovation of Imamura's previous films. Certainly the ones made before Black Rain (Kuroi Ame). Still it is worth pointing out that the issue of sex doesn't seem to be a major concern for younger Japanese filmmakers with the exception of Miike Takashi (with his special way of dealing with the subject) and I cannot remember of any sex scene in any of the films I have seen by these directors.

Why do so many great filmmakers, true masters of their genre, produce so much drivel in their later years? I am thinking of late Bunuel, Fellini, Antonioni, and now, regrettably, Imamura. It has only been four years since Imamura directed a truly marvelous film, "The Eel," and three years since the sublime "Dr. Akagi." Now we have the embarrassment of "Warm Water under a Red Bridge," in which realism and surrealism become intertwined and in which what some might view as the sublimity and sagacity of a great director's later years might appear more like an output of his dotage. If you admire Imamura and are a connosseur of his earlier and great films, save yourself the discomfort of watching this sad spectacle and go out and rent "The Ballad of Narayama." Or "The Eel."

I must admit to discovering Imamora only recently. He has all the vivid cinematic detail, the edginess of Oshima, and the humor of Itami; but he is a unique and original master of Japanese cinema. I am delighted that a film like this is even available in America. And, I am not surprised that there have been people here who proclaim it to be a 'silly film.' The film is a great surreal satire. It examines the ridiculous nature of male sexuality, and how we as men are motivated by our fears that one day well 'our little soldier won't be able to salute.' I loved the scene where the title character outruns an African long distance runner so he can meet up with the nymphomaniac shoplifter who he has started to have relations with even though he knows very little about her. I love the way birds and fish are used to symbolize fear and desire. This is an intoxicating film. I saw "The Pornogaphers" earlier this year, and it is a delight to see that a brilliant filmmaker has not lost his touch, not remotely!

"Warm Water...." begins with a woman in a market shoplifting while water gushes from between her legs and puddles around her feet - an intriguing opening for this meager Japanese comedy about a woman who sprays water like a fountain when having sex. Imamura seems to have painted himself into a corner as this curious story becomes only less and less interesting as time runs out with a less than apocalyptic conclusion. Nonetheless, there are some humorous moments along the way though most will not find the journey worth the time. For devotees of Japanese cinema only. (B-)

It's sad to know there will be no more new Imamura films. I think the previous reviewer is probably lacking a sense of fun. This isn't drivel; it's wicked fun. In the same way he dissects small-town vs. big-city attitudes in "The Eel," Imamura shows us how disconnected from real life the corporate world of Tokyo can make a man by thrusting him into the chaos of joblessness where everything he knows is useless. This is an opportunity to see the ever-hot Koji Yakusho at his James Stewart/Buster Keatonesque best in a story that's worthy of García-Márquez, for its utterly plausible mix of the other-worldly with the down-to-earth. I gave it a 9 out of 10 because Imamura seems to be mystified enough by women that he doesn't flesh out their characters as much as they might deserve, but the mystification is part of the story in this case. Great score, too!

First question: she hydrates, right? No matter how the body excretes fluid, one is going to get sick very fast if the body is losing water in any fashion, let alone at an abnormally high rate. That's extremely basic, and no, I wouldn't expect the movie to specifically address it, but it was foremost in my mind while watching. Second question, more substantively: how is it that this is able to employ a cheap gag of the sort seen in raunchy, boorish, vacuous sex comedies, but to be unexpectedly earnest at the same time? It's a romantic comedy, yes, with a very particular emphasis on sex, but it also boasts an overarching accentuation on seeking happiness, even - especially - if that means breaking from norms, stale routine, or the cage of comfortable living. I assume this stems as much from Henmi Yo's novel as from it's adaptation by Tomikawa Motofumi, Tengan Daisuke, and filmmaker Imamura Shohei, but it's an unlikely point in the picture's favor.

Granted, other facets are distinctly less advantageous. The encouragement of impulsiveness is also paired with a strain of ignorant anti-intellectualism; the dismissal of the trapping of modern life also comes with measures of racism and sexism, if not also toxic masculinity, and there's a dull juvenility that nevertheless rears its head at points. I assume the character of Ramin is fleshed out in the novel in a way that he is not here, in turn seeming superfluous; the occasional embellishments of computer-generated imagery could have been dispensed with altogether. And reinforced with Ikebe Shin'ichiro's often repetitive score, there's a sense of playfulness about the film that feels excessive and overbearing, not least as it clashes with the more sincere moments. 'Warm water under a red bridge' boasts surprising and welcome value with some of its themes, with the narrative at large, some of the humor, and otherwise, but not all choices made herein were good ones.

Even without being familiar with Henmi's book, I also get the sense that this title is a decidedly diluted, weaker treatment of the material, a trouble common to cinematic adaptations. Emphasizing the point, the last twenty minutes or so take a turn that severely breaks the previous tone, and is honestly altogether unconvincing as it becomes heavily dramatic - before again swerving into jocular territory in the final moments. I assume the prose was more cohesively rounded out, providing a smoother dispensation of the story, but in my opinion the third act of the movie quite drops the ball, pointedly diminishing my my favor. This is unfortunate, because even with faults there are gratifying strengths in this. The cast is a minor treasure with their spirited performances, including above all stars Yakusho Koji and Shimizu Misa. The filming locations are lovely, and tonal issues aside Imamura's direction is smart and admirable, just as is Komatsubara Shigeru's tasteful cinematography.

It's a mixed bag, truthfully. There is humor, and there is heart, and much about it is well done; the writing also leaves much to be desired, however, and even setting aside the jolting tonal shifts and questionable plot turns in the third act, I wonder if the plot isn't actually rather light as it presents. I do think 'Warm water under a red bridge' is worthwhile on its own merits, but I can't imagine it deserves any more than a very soft recommendation, and chiefly for those with some special impetus to watch. For general audiences it may be appreciable, but only up to a point, and ultimately my esteem only extends so far when limited by the flaws on hand. Check it out if you like, but don't go out of your way for it, and may you find it to be more fully enjoyable than I did.

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.

The wintry Japanese landscape forms an attractive backdrop to a working town in 'Warm Water Under a Red Bridge'; but although I enjoyed the cinematography, I suspect this is may not what most people would notice about this film. For it's an utterly strange affair, although its combination of supernatural oddness, sexual content and deadpan style may seem familiar to the readers of Haruki Murakami. And while there's s lot that's appealing in its storyline, with its mixture of the everyday and the wholly bizarre, fundamentally the whole thing is just a little too weird; that is, it's strangeness seems to serve no ultimate point except to be shocking, although to give it credit, the shocks are of a wholly original kind. Still, I couldn't take it seriously enough to stay interested.

This movie definitely had some flaws, not-so slight repetitiveness being the most glaring. However, I give it an 8, because the more I think about it, the more I like it.

If there has ever been a more effulgent, effluvient celebration of feminine sexuality on screen, I haven't seen it.

Seemingly infantile at first, the film continues to mature in my estimation. For instance, when the granddaughter confronts the salary man with her belief that he's only with her because she satisfies his kink, it comes across quite clearly as the primal scream erupting from that nagging "You only want me because fill-in-your-own-neuroses" doubt that most woman have felt in many relationships, at least fleetingly.

There are several such moments in the movie, but it is more of a fantasy romp than a psychological study or feminist manifesto, so I'll leave it there.

Good fun, attractive leads, check it out.

Imamura does here what Neil Jordan does in Crying Game; he takes two seemingly incongruous elements, fetishistic sexual obsession and contemporary socio-political malaise, and weaves them effortlessly together. Imamura's rigorously geometric framing contrasts with the feathery- light content of the tale. Having said that, there are some gritty moments here; a drowning born of insanity is rendered in stark black-and-white, and the social plight of Japan's cast-aside middle-aged salarymen is emblematically captured in Yakusho's performance. However, at heart this is a fun movie that surprises and delights. It is all about the mise-en-scene, perfectly delivered each time by Imamura and the principles. The film does flag at the end; it felt like they opted to go for melodrama purely because the allotted time was running out. The previous two acts make up for that third-act missed beat. One gripe is that the edition I bought had no Extras apart from the theatrical trailer. I would have liked a Making Of to confirm my suspicion that this film was as much fun to make as it is to watch. It must have been murder for cast and crew to keep a straight face during those venting scenes...

Took a chance at video store, expecting another "Red Lantern" or "Mask Maker". What we wound up with was so totally strange as to be incomprehensible. I am a reasobale savvy movie watcher and can handle explicit sex. rampant symbolism and some pretty peculiar twists, but "Warm Water" is too deep for me. Best just to let this movie pass Under the Bridge.

cheers,

I'm so disappointed that this has such a low rating!

As some of the other ratings indicate, yes this is a quirky movie.

Why is that a bad thing?!

I thought this had such a cute, super charming atmosphere to it.

The characters are all interesting, excellent acting and beautiful cinematography.

I just got this warm pleasant feeling from it, much like I got from Chungking Express, one of my all-time favorites.

Good movie!

I need more Imamura!

hurray!

What a joy.

Most folks will focus on the warm water part of this. Its the story, rich in social commentary, Japanese mythology and sexual politics. Its pleasant enough I suppose, but for my taste it is barely adequate to support the real matter of this, the red bridge part.

You see, sometimes it is enough to simply tell, and it almost matters not what is told, so long as it doesn't distract. Its the Van Gogh approach, I suppose, where he could literally plunk himself anywhere with proper light and paint what he encounters. Chair, tree, field. What matters to us is the manner of how he sees, and how he can convey that. Its the composition of his mind and how he tells a story about that while fooling us into thinking the story with the sound is the thing.

Now, I like it better when its all integrated. but I'll take this too. What he does is typical of Japanese filmmakers, and indeed many Japanese artists. Each moment needs to breath within its own world, and that world confined only by the limits of its breath. Everything has to be balanced in a way that it seems to have grown that way with intrinsic wholeness.

His method -- also typical of Japanese film -- is to see the frame of scene as the horizon of these microworlds. By this is mean both the visible frame of the sides of what we see, but most particularly its depth and the stroke between the points of beginning and end. Its not quite painterly because its a composition rooted in movement, and these dynamics are never to be found in static images.

The story talks of a treasure hidden in this location. Toward the end, the story makes explicit that the treasure is the womb, the source of all rivers. You have to make the small leap to finish the fold, that each episode you see is a visit to a womb, the fresh smells of small life conveyed.

What a joy.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

For one of his minor as well as interesting film called 'Warm Water Under a Red Bridge', Japanese director Imamura Shohei chose to depict the lives of some undesirable elements of Japanese society. This film has been adapted from a novel written by Henmi Yo. In principle, his film describes the emotional as well as physical relationship a white-collar worker forms with a bizarre woman from a small town. The primary focus is on depicting the life in a small Japanese town where ordinary people do not have much to do except fishing either as a hobby or for commercial purposes. Much of this film has been shot in the form of an unrequited love affair wherein the woman accuses the man of not having understood her feelings as a person. These roles have been played by with great sensitivity by Japanese actors Shimizu Misha and Yakusho Koji who were also directed by him in his previous film "The Eel".