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Still the Water

Play trailer 2:02 Poster for Still the Water 2023 2h 1m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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52% Tomatometer 23 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
On the subtropical Japanese island of Amami, traditions about nature remain eternal. During the full-moon night of traditional dances in August, 16-year-old Kaito discovers a dead body floating in the sea. His girlfriend Kyoko will attempt to help him understand this mysterious discovery. Together, Kaito and Kyoko will learn to become adults by experiencing the interwoven cycles of life, death and love.

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Still the Water

Still the Water

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Critics Consensus

Still the Water may provide stunning visual fodder and an affecting soundscape, but the dearth of a narrative current sets this story adrift.

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Critics Reviews

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Matt Zoller Seitz RogerEbert.com 03/03/2023
3/4
A gentle, quiet, intimate but big-seeming film. Go to Full Review Mark Kermode Observer (UK) 07/05/2015
3/5
At times it's too schematic for its own good, but there's a musical quality which harmonises the script's rockier edges, and the use of diegetic song is powerful and engaging. Go to Full Review Kate Muir The Times (UK) 07/02/2015
2/5
While the images chosen by the Japanese arthouse director Naomi Kawase are exquisite and arresting, the narrative is a dull, New Age meander. Go to Full Review Diego Batlle Otroscines.com 04/26/2023
3.5/5
... A film that splits itself into (too) many zones with uneven results, yet, it regales us with a few scenes of enormous sensibility and intensity. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Soham Gadre Film Inquiry 03/11/2023
While Still the Water feels pleasant, its existential questions are frustratingly left untraversed by its subtlety. Go to Full Review Liam Lacey Original Cin 03/02/2023
C
Naomi Kawase’s story of teenagers in love on a Japanese island is layers of solemn packaging around a banal center. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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09/04/2021 Aquele filme para contemplar o silêncio das cenas enquanto refletimos sobre os acontecimentos, lindo, poético, intenso, tem que se prestar atenção aos detalhes, e aí que eu me perco, a família da Kyoko encantadora, cenas fortes como o bode, a caça, ensanguentada, ascensão sensualidade e pureza na nudez, singela e dolorosa morte, cenas entrecortadas pelo mar e suas ressacas, fotografia fria, azul e cinza, apaixonante... See more 01/25/2017 Beautifully shot and reflective, there's absolutely no need to be cruel to animals just to make your cinematic 'masterpiece' in this day and age. Ruined what should be a great piece of cinema. See more 06/13/2015 Itâ??s like a haiku. The contemplative mood of the movie is executed perfectly. But I still feel that they should have not shown the graphic killing of the goat. Some highlights : the sing and dance part while one of the characters was about to die, and the underwater scene of the young lovers. See more 06/10/2015 There are plenty of moments in this film where it seems to overstay its welcome. However, the beautiful imagery and culture behind the story that tends to lack focus help to bring this artsy film to an unexpected level of enjoyment. See more 09/23/2014 Certes le film touche par sa dimension initiatique, son symbolisme dans la transmission generationnelle, son rapport a la nature... mais sa forme contemplative provoque aussi une certaine somnolence dans ces sequences les plus exagerement etirees... See more 08/13/2014 Futatsume no mado (Still the Water) - Cannes 2014 selección oficial See more Read all reviews
Still the Water

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Cast & Crew

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Naomi Kawase

Director

Nijirô Murakami

Kaito

Jun Yoshinaga

Kyôko

Miyuki Matsuda

Isa

Tetta Sugimoto

Tetsu

Makiko Watanabe

Misaki

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Still the Water

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Still the Water

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Movie Info

Synopsis On the subtropical Japanese island of Amami, traditions about nature remain eternal. During the full-moon night of traditional dances in August, 16-year-old Kaito discovers a dead body floating in the sea. His girlfriend Kyoko will attempt to help him understand this mysterious discovery. Together, Kaito and Kyoko will learn to become adults by experiencing the interwoven cycles of life, death and love.
Director
Naomi Kawase
Producer
Masa Sawada, Takehiko Aoki, Naomi Kawase
Screenwriter
Naomi Kawase
Distributor
Film Movement
Production Co
WOWOW, Comme des Cinémas, Pony Canyon Inc., arte France Cinéma, Luis Minarro, Asmik Ace Entertainment, Kumie, Inc.
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 3, 2023, Limited
Runtime
2h 1m