(おもちゃ)

Content: 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.

Countries:

Japan

Genres:

Drama

Runtime:

113 minutes

Year:

1999

Directors:

Kinji Fukasaku

Actors:

Tokiko aka Omocha

Satoe

Somemaru

Yoshikawa

Terucho

Crews:

Director

Original Music Composer

Director of Photography

Editor

Art Direction