Water

Overall, Mehta's maturing ear for dialogue benefits the cast's talents. In addition, art director Sumant Jayakrishnan sumptuous production design and A.R. Rahman's score deepen reception of the film.

Water is stunning because it is so quiet. The devastating unfairness of the lives of women interred in darkness, intertwined with the tragic love story of Narayan and Kalyani is played out without a hint of melodrama.

In the end, Water is too much of a compromise. A compromise between, perhaps, shocking the West with the subject matter - a eight-year-old widow! - and going for a popular Indian audience who will demand Bollywood romance.

WATER is a moving and important film that presents a horrific true story in beautiful images. The only downers are the somewhat too constructed dramaturgy and the sometimes missing closeness to the characters.