The Eel

1997 1h 57m JA

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 135

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A businessman kills his adulterous wife and is sent to prison. After his release, he opens a barbershop and meets new people, talking to almost no one except for an eel he befriended while in prison.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Koji Yakusho
Takuro Yamashita
Misa Shimizu
Keiko Hattori
Akira Emoto
Tamotsu Takasaki
Fujio Tokita
Jiro Nakajima
Mitsuko Baisho
Misako Nakajima
Show Aikawa
Yuji Nozawa
Ken Kobayashi
Masaki Saito
Sabu Kawahara
Seitaro Misato

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shōhei Imamura
Writers: Shōhei Imamura, Motofumi Tomikawa, Daisuke Tengan
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shōhei Imamura, shot by Shigeru Komatsubara. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shinichiro Ikebe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hajime Okayasu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Koji Yakusho and Misa Shimizu and Akira Emoto carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0120408 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shōhei Imamura directs. Shigeru Komatsubara behind the camera. Shinichiro Ikebe scores. Hajime Okayasu cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

129 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Shōhei Imamura, shot by Shigeru Komatsubara. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Shinichiro Ikebe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Hajime Okayasu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Koji Yakusho and Misa Shimizu and Akira Emoto carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0120408 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.