Like L'ATALANTE, THE BOW is seagoing fare of the first order... except for the ending, which harks back in some ways to films like WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE. The absence of dialogue between the two principals (everything that needs saying being conveyed in whispers) was an interesting way to go and the look of the movie is (as usual, for this particular director) beautiful... but the surreal ending, which on the face of it seems to have no reason for being whatsoever, undermines much of what has come before. The aforementioned WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE is likewise down-to-earth realistic for the most part, but it also includes clearly fantastic elements that make it more akin to the live-action fantasy born of anime than "straight" drama. Slightly uneven because of this seemingly last-minute inclusion, THE BOW is nonetheless worth a look.