Water
Deepa Mehta's answer to whether or not she is a feminist filmmaker was dead on. She said she is a humanist filmmaker, and that is apparent in Water.
She captured, through many of the characters, a real feeling of love and selflessness. The use of color is stunningly used to show that there is beauty everywhere, and signifies the resilience of the human spirit. Although this film is lovely and groundbreaking in many ways, the love story irritated me. The man’s interest in the women is based almost entirely on her looks, which makes him no different from her clients. I was pleased that, contrary to my expectations, he didn’t physically rescue her from her captivity, but it marrying him still served as her way out of the life she was formerly leading, which, in essence, makes him the hero for doing nothing but wanting to marry a gorgeous woman.
I enjoyed the way nature was used in the film. Water is used to cleanse the body and spirit of sins and impurities. It is also shown as a great divide, the wealthy families live on one side of the river and the widows live on the other side. The dichotomy between the two significances of water are similar to that of the Hindu religion in that it brings people together and also divides them. Green in the marsh and trees is representative of youth, hope, and a new beginning, while the clouds represent turbulence and passion.
I know that many people protested the making of this film because of the way
India is portrayed. I don't think that it concentrated specifically on India but on individual beliefs with in the country’s culture. It showed how resilient women can be in the face of despair. It showed the struggle between religious and personal beliefs. It showed how the government manipulates its citizen using religion, something common in many parts of the world not excluding the US. I didn't walk away thinking about how messed up India is, but how messed up people can be.