Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
I’ve heard many complaints about this film — in particular, Chinese actresses playing role of Japanese geisha. The implied insult: all asians look the same. But this is just a symptom of the problem rather than the cause. The genesis of the book is American, and it shows clearly in this very Hollywood production, lack of subtlety, and the ending. It’s hard to feel bad watching this film — the story moves along well. Nevertheless, it is hard to feel satisfied either. One feels one is getting an education about geisha, but then one wonders what small thing they got wrong or changed just to make the script work or more palatable to an American audience. In the end, it doesn’t quite feel authentic.
