Very disappointing...

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I am a big admirer of Japanese cinema, film makers like Kurusawa, Koreeda, Oshima Imamura and the list goes on. And also from time to time I enjoy slow cinema, but in the case of Naomi Kawase Still The Water and her other previous film "Mourning Forest" for witch reasons i don't understand why the jury awarded it the grand prize there were far better films competing that year like Russia's entry and brilliant The Banishment. Still the water had an interesting concept for a great story and its tropical location and beautiful cinematography, still the screenplay falls flat the characters seem to sleepwalk through the whole film. I truly believe Naomi makes film for her and friends and she is unaware that audiences outside her realm are falling asleep to her films. i give this film a D.

As much as I enjoy Asian cinema, it does happen every now and then that an unimpressive and boring movie surfaces. And "Still the Water" (aka "Futatsume no mado") happened to be one such movie.The movie is set up for being potentially a great story, with the story revolving around the cycles of life, death and love, as seen from a teenage couple's point of view. And the fact that it takes place on a subtropical paradise Island just bolsters the possibility of it being great.However, director Naomi Kawase butchered everything that could possibly been a good movie.I managed to sit through 25 minutes of "Still the Water" before I had to give up out of sheer and complete boredom. Nothing, and I do mean literally nothing had happened in those 25 minutes. And I had no desire whatsoever to continue on watching the story, as it was highly unlikely that the movie would change pace and change character. No, this was just too much of a snoozefest as told by the director.The acting in the movie wasn't particularly outstanding. Now, I am not saying that the cast didn't perform well, because they did perform adequately, I would say. It is just that no one was outstanding and no one left a memorable impression with their performance. And I am sure that it is to blame on the script and the writers, because the characters lacked personalities, quirks, traits and could essentially have been dolls instead.There was an abundance of beautiful things to look at in the movie, in the sense of location and shots. But a movie can't sustain itself on visual grace alone.There is no chance of me returning to finish the rest of the movie, because it just lacked anything even remotely appealing and interesting. And it just goes to prove that not everything in the Asian cinema is a grand and glorious experience.

What a pleasure! Seldom does a film touch on so many important questions, THE important questions I would say, with so much taste and grace and easiness. Seen through the eyes of two 16 year old teenagers we get to know two families, both in trouble, one dying parent, one split marriage and how each kid reacts to the situation. And this is reflected in the friendship and blossoming relationship between the teenagers. Questions of endless love and the believe of a life after death are raised and form the central drive of the story.The film is almost two hours long but for these questions you definitely need time to feel and tell. There is no wrong sentence or behavior in this movie, it is a quiet film with many silent moments where you have a chance to look and think. Something very rare nowadays. The overall feeling is a very positive one and you leave the film with hope and joy!

Death, love, commitment...the movie treats those question in a very human rhythm, and surprises you in its deepness. I was moved to tears.It's set in a paradisaical coast of a Japanase island, full of light and sea. The actors are impressively true and beautiful.Japanase music being played and sang was a real plus too. The few scenes happening in Tokyo were a really good reflection to appreciate better the lifestyle in that countryside.the last third of the movie was maybe a little bit slow to reveal itself, but it saved some great scenes and was matching the rest of it.It's also socially and culturally very enriching and interesting. Leaves you with true surprises about the way these kids behave towards losing someone, towards relationships, etc.