Sakuran (2007) Review

Sakuran is based off a manga of the same name, the mangaka responsible for this intense manga is Anno Moyoco.

The movie Sakuran was directed by Mika Ninagawa, whom I came to know is more renowed as a professional photographer. This movie was her first attempt at directing.

The Premise:

Kiyoha was sold into a brothel due to her poor family state. She had been rebellious from the very beginning - having told her mother to shut up on the way to the brothel because the mother wouldn't ramble on and on about how her new life will be different from now on.
Kiyoha was promptly sold as she apparently showed "signs" of promise to blossom into a great beauty. She was put under Shohi, the top Oiran at the time. The very beautiful but haughty Shohi had shown nothing but disdain towards the spirited Kiyoha - which I personal think is a mask of her own envy for not being as strong as Kiyoha.

Kiyoha and Shohi get into a heated argument when Shohi declares Kiyoha will never make it as an Oiran because it depends on pure luck to rise as the top courtesan.

Kiyoha also vows that when the Sakura tree in the nearby temple blooms a petal, she will leave. This was responded with Shohi laughing condescendingly at Kiyoha, cruelly graining in the fact that the Sakura tree had long been dead and her dreams are already in the ditch.

Shohi soon accepts to marry a Japanese samurai lord, leaving another girl to replace Shohi as Oiran. Many years have passed, Kiyoha(played by the absolutely amazing Anna Tsuchiya) is now 17 years old. She had become a beautiful young woman - often noted on her bold, penetrating eyes.

Those eyes will take you straight to the bedchamber, on a bed, with a tangle of limbs.

Kiyoha had a string of lovers and eventually became the Oiran of her teahouse, as predicted by the Madame.

Look at that zebra-print obi. JUST LOOK AT IT.

Kiyoha have now became the most sought after Oiran and changed her name to Higurashi. We now watch as her life take drastic turns of events - with one tragedy after another.

Her most valueble patron had asked for her hand in marriage and she unwillingly consented, thinking being a wife to one man is better than being a sex toy to many men. On the morning of her wedding, Higurashi saw that the dead Sakura tree had indeed birthed a single petal.

She now knows what to do with her life.

~*~

Mika Ninagawa had managed to capture EVERY SCENE in the most stunning of visuals. As a photogapher she would know how to make a picture breathtaking using the most flattering of angle and this film was nothing short of cinematography porn.

Speaking of porn - you would encounter a good number of nude shots with raw sex scenes. These were not vulgar however as the human body in this movie is shown to be a symbol for growth from Kiyoha/Higurashi's point of perspective.

I would give this an 8/10. One mark deducted for absolutely bizarre soundtracks and another one for abrupt ending.

On the topic of mismatched soundtrack - a commentator in IMDB pointed out that such weird soundtrack was used to symbolize Kiyoha's uniqueness and out-of-this-world character for a Japanese woman of her time.

Fun fact:

1. You would notice that Kiyoha's Obi is tied to the front as opposed to the traditional style. This is to distinguish her as a woman of pleasure, yujo.

2. Her hairpins - her hairpins are a vital 'mark' to note her ranking among other courtesans. An Oiran will have the most elaborate of hair ornaments. Common courtesans will simply have hairpins made from tortoise shells and the number/hairstyle evolution will increase as her ranking increases.

3. She wears a thick platform whenever she's on a procession because she is literally on display. The tall height of the platform shoes would allow others to revel in her beauty and glamour, thus inviting potential patrons who would want her service.

*Please correct me if I'm wrong I do not wish to insult anyone's culture. =)

I would say if you're into lifestyle movies like Sakuran - you should not miss it <3