Japan Synopsis
うなぎ
White-collar worker Yamashita finds out that his wife has a lover visiting her when he's away; so he suddenly returns home and kills her. After eight years in prison, he returns to live in a small village, opens a barber shop (he was trained as a barber in prison) and talks to almost no one except for the eel he "befriended" in prison. One day he finds the unconscious body of Keiko, who attempted suicide and reminds him of his wife. She starts to work at his shop, but he doesn't let her become close to him.
The 1996–1998 Japan Window
144 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. The Eel sits at position #62.
The 1990s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1990s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when The Eel premiered. 447 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #2,330 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (49th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #1,034 of 1,933 (top 53%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Runtime | 1h 57m |
| Release Date | May 12, 1997 |
| IMDb | tt0120408 |