A surreal period film following a university professor and his eerie nomad friend as they go through loose romantic triangles and face death in peculiar ways.
Tag: geisha
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The Geisha
Yokiro was the most successful Geisha house in Western Japan during the first half of the 20th century and remains open to this day. At its peak, it was home to over 200 geisha, however behind the fabulous facade, there were many battles – between family members, men and women, and with the Yakuza. Momokawa was sold to Yokiro at age 12, and despite being the top geisha, her many complicated relationships provide unending challenges throughout her glamorous but turbulent life.
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Ginza Midnight Story – Utopia
Japanese gangster drama set in the exclusive Ginza district of Tokyo, following Haruka (Atsuko Sakuraba), a young geisha who is attacked by an influential businessman who plans to abduct her. When she is rescued by the members of a club called ‘Utopia’, Haruka joins them and becomes a hostess, rapidly establishing herself as one of the most sought-after geisha’s in Ginza. At the same time, Haruka learns of a plan by a corrupt, gangster-owned club to set itself up as a rival to Utopia. Such is her loyalty to the club that first helped her, she is willing to do anything to protect it.
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Lusty Hot Spring
Kiriko is a beautiful woman working in a quiet hot spring town. The owner of the inn, Goro, is attracted to her beauty and asks her out, but she refuses. Meanwhile, Imai, a detective staying at the inn, recognizes Kiriko’s face and investigates her past on his own.
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The Geisha House
Set in the late 1950s, when geisha culture was threatened by moral crusades, it tells the story of Omocha (Miyamoto Maki), a young girl who sees the geisha life as a way to lift her poverty-stricken family from their hand-to-mouth existence. Through her eyes, we see the protocols and complex financial relationships which dictate the running of the geisha house. Fukasaku’s film is a work of great delicacy with moments of hypnotic beauty, and his tender direction, often touched with a sense of wonder, fills the screen with lovingly constructed scenes. At its heart is the poignant situation of the women who must sacrifice their normal relationships to live an ambiguous life in which they are a key part of society while being kept, for the most part, on its periphery, like perpetual mistresses.
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Zatoichi
Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.
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RoboGeisha
Sisters Yoshie and Kikue are two Geisha who are abducted by a mysterious organization to be transformed into murderous cyborg assassins.
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Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island
Joseon’s top detective Kim Min attempts to track down those responsible for circulating massive amounts of counterfeit silver bullion in Joseon. He also tries to find the missing sibling of a young girl.