Dir.: Shohei Imamura; Script: Motofumi Tomikawa, Daisuke Tengan, Shohei Imamura D'après un roman de/Based on a novel by: Akira Yoshimura; Phot.: Shigeru Komatsubara; Ed.: Haljime Okayasu; Mus.: Shinichiro Ikebe; Cast: Koji Yakusho, Misa Shimizu, Fujio Tsuneta, Mitsuko Baisho, Makoto Sato, Akira Emoto.; Prod.: Imamura Productions/Eisei Gekijyo/Shochiku Co. Ltd., 13-5 Tsukiji, I-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104 (Japon), tél.: 81-3-5550-1623; fax: 81-3-5550-1654; Sales: Shochiku Co. Ltd. .

Returning home unexpectedly from a fishing trip, white-collar worker Takuro Yamashita finds his wife in bed with her lover and in the heat of passion he stabs her to death. Still bloody from the deed, he turns himself in to the local police station. Eight years later, he's released on parole. Among his few possessions is an eel he has acquired while in prison. The eel has become his pet and his confidant. His parole officer, a priest, brings Takuro to a small town on a river outside of Tokyo, where he attempts to rebuild his life by opening a barber shop. A shy, taciturn man, Takuro nevertheless makes new acquaintances among the locals including a construction worker and an eccentric who hopes Takuro's revolving barber pole will attract UFOs. One day he happens across the unconscious body of a young woman, Keiko, who had failed in an attempt to drown herself in the river. Keiko, who reminds Takuro of his dead wife, recovers, begins to work in his shop and eventually transforms it into a popular local hangout. The relationship between Keiko and Takuro strengthens but theer are elements in their respective pasts that first need to be confronted. "Novels by Akira Yoshimura (from one of which THE EEL was adapted) often deal with social problems, but this one is different. It focusses on obsessive relationships, including the one between a man and an eel, and I was fascinated." -- Shohei Imamura "Imamura has created a rich tapestry of characters and situations, all of it vividly brought to life with pristine visuals and a generous emotional warmth". -- David Stratton (Variety)