I was slightly disappointed with this Cannes winner, which has many good elements, but not a thoroughly convincing total. A rather unexciting public official, Yamashita, receives anonymous letters about his wife's adultery. Finding her in the act one night he stabs her to death. 8 years later he is trying to begin a new life, with his prison pal, an eel, as company. He opens a barber shop on a desolate river shore and tries to mind his own business, interacting only reluctantly with the locals. A woman he saves from suicide, Keiko, enters his life and tries to break down his barricades. There are many funny and touching scenes, as when Keiko tries stubbornly to provide Yamashita with a lunch bag against his will, and the many nightly fishing trips, where our hero releases the fish as soon as they are caught, are also unforgettable. The movie gains intensity because of the challenge Keiko presents to Yamashita's crumbled self, and some of his scenes of self-questioning are rewarding, but in the end I think movie is too sloppy and inconsequent. The farcical climax falls flat - what I like best are the calm scenes around the barber shop and by the river where the story comes to a halt. 8/10 ************SPOILER!!!!**************** At some point Yamashita realises with a shock that perhaps there was no letter about his wife's adultery. He imagined it. Which makes me wonder: did he imagine the adultery as well, and killed his wife only because of his frustrations with himself? His wife's sensuality, as well as Keiko's, is deeply contrasted with Yamashita's lack of warmth and inability to connect. His tormentor claims that he was unable to fulfill his marital obligations. If that is true, it could have driven him insane. And we never hear about the trial, the other man etc.
