The Eel

A quiet office worker comes home early one night and discovers his wife having an affair. In a fit of rage, he kills her and turns himself in to the police. After serving eight years in prison, he is paroled and settles in a small rural town, hoping to start anew. He opens a modest barber shop and lives a solitary life, his main companion a pet eel that he keeps in a tank in his shop—a symbol of his isolation and struggle to communicate with others. He keeps his past and emotions tightly guarded, evading questions from the curious but well-meaning locals.

One rainy evening, he rescues a troubled woman found unconscious near the river. She, suffering from her own traumas, begins working at the barber shop and gradually forms a connection with the reticent ex-convict. The arrival of this woman brings disruptions as the town’s residents become intrigued by their relationship, while unresolved issues from her past also begin to surface. Together, they navigate skepticism from others, misunderstandings, and their own emotional wounds. Their fragile trust is tested as more visitors from their respective histories make appearances, forcing each to confront difficult truths while searching for acceptance and redemption in their quiet, fragile new lives.