"Memoirs of a Geisha"

To be honest, movies about a different culture do not always interest me because most of the time I do not understand them. I don’t have enough background knowledge to fully understand it. In Memoirs of a Geisha I was able to understand it and actually enjoy it. The story involves the life of a young, poor, Japanese girl, Sayuri, who was sold by her parents to be a slave but becomes a geisha in her later life. As she grows, she is treated as a servant and learns the life of a servant. She gets physically punished for things that are not her fault. She becomes the most popular geisha in Kyoto from the help of the most successful geisha, Mameha. Sayuri, whose real name is Chiyo Sakamoto, struggles with life as a geisha. Geishas are woman who are entertainers and amuse men without actually giving them their own body. Sayuri, from a young age, falls in love with the chairman who is determined to see again one day. Sayuri learns quickly how to be a geisha as well as become the rival of  her friend and her mentor.

As I was watching this, I couldn’t help and think about The Waiting Years. Women in Japan are, in a way, forced to hide their feelings. Show no emotion and do what pleases the men. The film captures that effect very well demonstrates the life of a geisha well. Sayuri learns to put her strong feelings of the chairman away. They are humans who have feelings and live a life full of obstacles as many ordinary people do. Sayuri tries to find her happiness but being a geisha makes it difficult for it to happen. It becomes even more difficult when World War II begins interrupting her life. Despite everything Sayuri goes through, she manages to get through it. Who would have known the young Sayuri would become into a strong woman? The ending of the film might be well liked by many but hated for others. In my opinion, the film ended the way it should have.