Synopsis
A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After the release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking almost to no one except an eel he befriended while in prison.
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Cast
- Koji YakushoTakuro Yamashita
- Misa ShimizuKeiko Hattori
- Akira EmotoTamotsu Takasaki
- Fujio TokitaJiro Nakajima
- Mitsuko BaishoMisako Nakajima
- Show AikawaYuji Nozawa
- Ken KobayashiMasaki Saito
- Sabu KawaharaSeitaro Misato
- Etsuko IchiharaFumie Hattori
- Tomorowo TaguchiEiji Dojima
Recommendations
- 100
San Francisco Chronicle
A viewer may even blink his eyes to be sure the turn of events is actually happening. - 90
The New York Times
Yakusho and Ms. Shimizu deliver unerring performances in a splendid film that harvests hope from a bleak landscape. - 89
Austin Chronicle
It's no wonder Imamura has now collected not one but two Palmes d'Ors; The Eel is a flash of quiet brilliance that resonates long after the images have faded from the screen. - 88
San Francisco Examiner
In a way, The Eel is very much like Black Rain, and nearly as great. Both deal with an emotionally shattering aftermath, and both question mankind's ability to overcome its many weaknesses. - 80
Variety
While the symbolism of the eel itself is a bit obvious, Imamura has created a rich tapestry of characters and situations, all of it vividly brought to life with pristine visuals and a generous emotional warmth. - 75
The A.V. Club
Pointless conflict aside, The Eel is a thoughtful film, oddly touching despite its quirks. - 75
Boston Globe
The Eel careens all over the stylistic map, from irony to slapstick. But it's chaos in the service of rebirth and redemption, a rich screenful of zigzagging. [16 Oct 1998, p.C5] - 75
Chicago Reader
The film brims over with various eccentrics (the barber's ufologist neighbor and a former prison mate who harasses the hero and delivers drunken tirades), and Imamura views them all with mixed amusement and curiosity; he also does striking things with dream sequences and visual and aural flashbacks.
