Takura Yamashita is imprisoned for eight years after murdering his wife in a fit of jealous rage, upon his release he moves to a remote town and becomes a hairdresser, avoiding human contact and finding solace in the company of his pet eel. It is only the meeting with a young woman struggling to cope with problems of her own that enables Takura to begin to deal with his own demons. The Eel won the 1997 Palme d'Or and is a surreal blend of emotions, comedy, passion and drama, an unusual and delightful pleasure