Bangiku

The best aspects of this, instead of the story of retired geisha, is when it touches upon the feelings felt by mothers when their children have grown up, which was touching and thoughtful. The main story about retired geisha in comparison however is really not that interesting; issues of age and gender have been tackled in other films, including one of the director's own, with more insight.

The final half hour really elevates this.

Flott film om tre kvinner, deres livsvalg og deres plass i samfunnet. Tre tidligere geishaer er i dag utenfor prime timen og sliter med å tilpasse seg den nye og moderne hverdagen. Overraskende underspilt til japansk film å være, og langt mer nyansert enn mye annet fra perioden. I tillegg er musikken variert og flott.

Star Rating: ★★★★1/2

There are admittedly prettier Japanese films of the era, but this nuanced & delicate offering from Naruse is well worth your time. The characters & their interactions are compact and harsh, but are skilfully laced with continuous regret, disappointment & self-condemnation. The musical score is beautiful also. This isn't for everyone admittedly, & can't be considered the most accessible film of the era; with is scant plotting & emotional restrain. But it's a joy if your in the mood for it.

Interesting enough if you enjoy Japanese film of this era but the characters don't elicit much empathy and the story doesn't have much depth of emotion.

A shallow, terribly boring, uneventful and nearly pointless story. Basically this is about a miserly old former geisha who become a money lender. The story is unexciting and uninteresting. Mostly about an old woman who has no friends, no happiness and no compassion for others. There are two former lovers she does not reconnect with. Old faded black and white makes the video quality very poor. Not really worth the effort it takes to stay awake long enough to watch.