"Warm Water Under a Red Bridge"
Yosuke Sasano (Koji Yakusho, "Shall We Dance?") is middle aged, unemployed, divorced and living on the streets of Tokyo. He meets and elderly, homeless wanderer who tells a tale about a stolen gold Buddha statue that is hidden in a house by a red bridge in a distant village. The old man's last wish is that Yosuke journey to the town, find the valuable artwork and make his fortune. The out of work Sasano has nothing better to do and heads for the town. He meets a young woman, Saeko Aizawa, and learns that she lives in the house by the red bridge! What he doesn't know, but will soon find out, is that she has a "condition" that causes her to gush water when physically aroused in "Warm Water Under a Red Bridge."
Director and co writer Shohei Imamura (collaborating with Motofumi Tomikawa and Daisuke Tengan) adapts Yo Henmi whimsical story about a lonely man who, despite himself, finds happiness and passion with a lady for whom "turning on the water works" has a whole new meaning. The fantasy tale starts out promising enough as we watch a traditional stranger-comes-to-town story that has Yosuke as the loner attracted to the pretty lady. Saeko, he learns, is also a kleptomaniac and he follows her home to try to get into the house and find the treasure.
Yosuke falls for Saeko and when they finally get together he finds out her dark secret. When she gets passionate, she's like a fireboat on the 4th of July. Part of the story revolves around the healing power the couple's love has on Saeko's condition. When she's a gusher, the pair has to get rid of all the aqua and dump it in the river. Soon, the local fisherman start catching all manner of exotic fish that are attracted to the magical powers of Saeko's special water. Things get serious, however, when another visitor from Tokyo arrives, with his gang, looking for the Buddha.
"Warm Water Under a Red Bridge" tries very hard to be a magical, whimsical film but suffers from its length. This kind of lighthearted flight of fancy, to keep its magic, needs to be tight and focused (with opportunities, of course, to take some side trips). The point of the film and the ensuing romance is dragged along too long. I enjoyed the quirky courtship and the bevy of oddball characters - including an African runner training in Japan on a meager grant who plans to win the gold and, in ten years, be elected president of his country. It's an often-cute film but either needs more substance to fill the time or some judicious editing.
The look of the film is crisp and utilitarian, with lensing, by Shigeru Kamatsuhara, nicely capturing the small town feel. The water works F/X are less than successful, looking more like the couple are wrestling with an out of control fire hose. The good natured element of the story and the nice crafting make "Warm Water Under a Red Bridge" a good candidate for home viewing with its warm whimsy, but it is too long and it ain't "Local Hero." I give it a B-.
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