Sakuran

Kiyoha is a young rebellious girl in the Edo period, sold by her mother to the Yoshiwara red light district. There she is trained to become a a charming courtesan.

 Kiyoha's wild nature is hard to be tamed, but once she receives her "education" by beautiful Oiran ("elder sister", or senior courtesan) Shohi, she quickly rises to power and overshadows current favourite Takao, who later dies horribly. She is then asked to become an Oiran herself and finds a rich Samurai to rescue her and make her his legitimate wife. But is this what Kiyoha wants? Where is love in the equation of her life?

Reminiscent of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette for the use of a rock soundtrack in a period piece, Sakuran shows its manga (by Moyoco Anno) origins in the lavish, colour-bursting set design and artistic direction. The whole visual department of the film has worked crazily to build up unforgettable images and stunning camera movements.
Yet the story of Kiyoha is predictable and boring, with all the twist and turns of the golden-hearted-prostitute archetypical story placed at the right moment.
Ironically, the film starts with a view of the Yoshiwara district framed from behind a magnificent aquarium full of goldfish: as if the real story, the real passions and sorrows of the prostitutes take place behind a layer of transparent, delicate and ultimately useless beauty.

Young rockstar Anna Tsuchiya gives a good performance in the main role, although it is telling that director Mika Ninagawa has chosen such a Western-looking face for the brat character, while Kiyoha's obedient and dull colleagues are given more authentic Japanese looks.
The dialogues are often ridiculous and asthenic, but at least they spark some interest when our heroine is asked by the wealthy samurai why she keeps an empty chest of drawers in her room, to which she replies, "To pretend that there is something where there's nothing, is petty. To pretend that there is nothing where there's something, is style".

Kiyoha's motto sounds like a bold statement in this visually magnificent but totally shallow film, and one wonders whether it works against the film itself.

Vera Brozzoni

Sakuran opens at the ICA, The Mall, London, SW1Y 5AH  on August 29th