WATER

I recently watched a movie that was both very enlightening and very moving. The movie was titled Water. It takes place in the year 1938 in India during the British Raj – the time period during which India was under control of the British Empire. This was also before Mahatma Gandhi had revolutionized the Indian lifestyle. So the India we might recognize today is nowhere to be found amongst the ancient, and seemingly-peculiar, traditions depicted in this film. The film actually is focused around one of these specifically: As a part of Hindu tradition, very young girls would often find themselves married to older men. When the husband passed away, the young wife would be faced with only three options she would have to choose from – she could be burned alongside her husband’s body, she could marry a brother of the husband (if the family allowed it), or she could choose to live the life of a widow in what is called a widow’s ashram. This is where our main character, Chuyia, finds herself as the movie begins.

Chuyia is an eight year old girl who learns that her husband has just passed away. I won’t go into a whole lot of detail because I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone, but I would like to give you at least an idea of how unfortunate a circumstance Chuyia (and countless other young girls and women) finds herself in. Think of an eight year old girl you know. It could be a daughter, a sister, a niece, a neighbor, a grandchild, etc. It doesn’t really matter that the girl you’re thinking of isn’t married because Chuyia didn’t even remember she was ever married herself. Now imagine shaving this girl’s hair until she is nearly bald and giving her just a simple white sheet for clothing. This young girl must be taken to an ashram where you must abandon her forever. She will live out the rest of her life with only other widows of the ashram. Here a simple life will be lived – basic food, little entertainment, trips to the other side of the ashram walls only on occasion, and the list doesn’t get anymore exciting than that.

Clearly, those looking for a happy story should look elsewhere. So why even see this movie? I think that the wake-up call the movie served as for me was worth the sadness I felt. I had no idea that this was even going on in the world, and it troubled me to see so many lives simply marked as “insignificant” and “unfit” for really living. I felt sorrow for those widows in India who (even still today) have to face these circumstances that seem unreal to me, and I really began to appreciate my own life like never before. What a humbling experience Water proved to be.

Watching a movie like Water really only has one purpose – raising awareness. Hopefully the unthinkable burdens of the world can be made lighter, or even non-existent, as more and more people are made aware that these burdens even exist. This is why I think Water was such a great movie. Despite how troubling it may be, it is worth watching. You can find it online on websites such as Netflix or Amazon. I wouldn’t recommend it for young children because of the sexual themes, but anyone willing to look past the movie’s heavy concepts can really benefit from its powerful message.