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Movie
Poster for The Eel

The Eel

1997 · 117 min

A quiet, slow-burn character study that balances dark trauma with gentle warmth, demanding patience but rewarding with emotional depth.

Overview
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.
Free in the UK
  • JustWatch TV Free
More options Data from JustWatch
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • isolation
  • redemption
  • guilt
  • healing
  • love
Places
  • small town
  • workplace
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror1
Humour3
Realism8
Romance4
Tension4
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

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Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • JustWatch TV Free

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, crime
Directed by
Shōhei Imamura
Written by
Daisuke Tengan, Shōhei Imamura, Motofumi Tomikawa
Starring
Koji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Akira Emoto, Fujio Tokita, Mitsuko Baisho, Show Aikawa, Ken Kobayashi, Sabu Kawahara
Music
Shinichiro Ikebe
Cinematography
Shigeru Komatsubara
Runtime
117 min
Country
Japan
Languages
Japanese

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