The Eel

Released from prison eight years after killing his unfaithful wife, Japanese salaryman Yamashita (Koji Yakusho), accompanied by the pet eel ("He listens to what I say") he kept behind bars, tries to start a new life as a barber in a small town. A local woman (Misa Shimizu) who becomes Yamashita's assistant is attracted to him, but tragedy in her own past may haunt them both, in this unusual character study from Shohei Imamura. 117 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Japanese; Subtitles: English; featurettes. In Japanese with English subtitles.