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In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I am a big admirer of Japanese cinema, film makers like Kurusawa, Koreeda, Oshima Imamura and the list goes on. And also from time to time I enjoy slow cinema, but in the case of Naomi Kawase Still The Water and her other previous film "Mourning Forest" for witch reasons i don't understand why the jury awarded it the grand prize there were far better films competing that year like Russia's entry and brilliant The Banishment. Still the water had an interesting concept for a great story and its tropical location and beautiful cinematography, still the screenplay falls flat the characters seem to sleepwalk through the whole film. I truly believe Naomi makes film for her and friends and she is unaware that audiences outside her realm are falling asleep to her films. i give this film a D.

This review is not about the film but the crude American taste.Whenever my cinema-savvy friends criticised Hollywood, I'd jokingly dismiss their arguments, saying I enjoy action-packed, fun films for afternoons and that Hollywood has great production. I stand corrected.This film has been given a 5 by metacritic. Check out the reviews. They say silent moments are awkward.. or that stares are long... I had an epiphany that Americans and their layman critics have actually no appreciation for an actual good work when they see one. Everybody likes a big Mac but in no way it means you can slam a 5-michelin star cuisine.I always acknowledged Hollywood films try to appeal to the lowest common denominator. It makes them fun to a point. But I realised today it's not just their audience that is unnaturally confused with junk, but apparently American select critics are actually the lowest common denominator.P.S. IMDb will not be a universal source until it goes beyond Hollywood standards.

The Blue Lagoon meets Descendants. It's a beautifully filmed feature, about life, death, love, and the natural beauty of the island. It is also about loss, resilience, sacrifice, and preservation in the face of change. It is also a coming of age drama just as much as a romance. A little slow in some area, made up for by the lingering shots on the island. Restrained acting of parents such as Makiko Watanabe, Tetta Sugimoto, and Miyuki Matsuda in the film make your heart break. Reminds viewers there is more to Japan than Tokyo. Would have liked to learn more about the Island life, for example, is it based on tourism with tensions between tourists who come in for a few days and leave? Would have fleshed out the parent characters a little more. Spoiler Alert: there is an ending scene that should have been cut or totally omit in my opinion since it does not convey the intended message. Still worth a nine out of ten stars.

Death, love, commitment...the movie treats those question in a very human rhythm, and surprises you in its deepness. I was moved to tears.It's set in a paradisaical coast of a Japanase island, full of light and sea. The actors are impressively true and beautiful.Japanase music being played and sang was a real plus too. The few scenes happening in Tokyo were a really good reflection to appreciate better the lifestyle in that countryside.the last third of the movie was maybe a little bit slow to reveal itself, but it saved some great scenes and was matching the rest of it.It's also socially and culturally very enriching and interesting. Leaves you with true surprises about the way these kids behave towards losing someone, towards relationships, etc.