THE EEL

“A rich tapestry of characters and situations, vividly brought to life with pristine visuals and a generous emotional warmth.” - Variety

Shohei Imamura’s spectacularly compassion THE EEL won him his second Palme d’Or (after 1983’s THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA) and was the breakthrough leading role for Koji Yakusho (Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s CURE, Wim Wenders’ PERFECT DAYS). This director is a personal favorite of Bong Joon-ho, who lists Imamura’s previous VENGEANCE IS MINE amongst his most favorite films.

THE EEL is Imamura’s tale of businessman Takuro who, after being jailed for killing his adulterous wife, opens a barbershop while on parole. He speaks to almost no one except the pet eel he befriended while in prison. However, when Takuro saves Keiko (SHALL WE DANCE?’s Misa Shimizu) from attempting suicide, he’s forced to confront demons from his past.