Sakuran - 88 Films

As usual with the stuff I get from 88 Films, I had never heard of Sakuran, but the cover alone intrigued me. I knew I was in for something, at the very least, visually impressive. Sakuran, the debut film from photographer Mika Ninagawa, is more than just visuals. It captures the life of a sex worker in a compelling and realistic manner.

First off, I am not a fan of movies about sex workers. They tend to make for a tough watch, highlighting the struggle of such a life. I just don’t need a movie to make that point for me; I think it’s an inherent fact of that world. But with Sakuran, which follows the journey of Kiyoha from initially being sold to a brothel to rising up to oiran, it’s more complicated than that.

The easy route for Sakuran would be to present the world of 18th century Japanese courtesans as visually beautiful but with a dark underside. There is a bit of that, to be sure, but there’s more nuance than just “pretty things can hide darkness.” It’s best portrayed in the film in the goldfish metaphor. Kiyoha, after attempting to run away, is told that a goldfish can stay within the bowl and be beautiful. If it leaves the bowl, it could die, and even if it can escape the bowl and make it to a river, it will grow into an ugly carp. For this time period, this metaphor perfectly captures the chances a beautiful woman in Japan has. 

Kiyoha can stay in her bowl at the brothel and exert quite a bit of power as an oiran (she would have a say in who her clients are, for instance). She could live in a beautiful world, even if it is also a bit of a prison. Or she could chance the outside world, which will undoubtedly be uglier, at least on the surface level, than her life in the brothel. Typically in a movie like this you immediately want the main character to get away from this life, but Sakuran makes it a more interesting question. 

There’s not much more to say beyond that. If you’re like me, and this was completely unknown to you, then it is very much worth checking out. It isn’t the depressing watch you might imagine, and the colorful world created by Ninagawa is mesmerizing at times.

Transfer and Special Features

88 Films has quickly become one of my favorite distributors. First, the films always look great. Second, the cases and cover art are always interesting, and they don’t stick with a set style. This release doesn’t have the slip cover that I’ve come to love, but it’s fine without it because the cover art is so arresting. 

As for the special features, there’s a commentary and a featurette from Amber T. of Fangoria that gets into the history of the film and the inevitable comparisons to Memoirs of a Geisha. There is also a beautiful booklet included with an article that gives extensive background of the world of the film that is immensely helpful for ignorant viewers like myself.