Mika Ninagawa is still making films to this day with her most recent flick, xxxHolic, in 2022. I’m reminded of this going into the upcoming Blu-Ray release of her Edo period-set feature debut, Sakuran, which otherwise finally puts her filmography directly in my purview. It’s also an opportune since I find myself reviewing the works of a lot of directors midway into their careers, so getting to see her first directing to start lends some welcome perspective.
Sakuran is a live-action adaptation of Moyoko Anno’s single-volume manga published via Evening Magazine by Kodansha in 2001, adapted for the screen by Yuki Tanada, and starring Anna Tsuchiya in the lead role; Her character, Kiyoha, appears in one of the film’s few opening shots, as she’s introduced in her latter teens: Spunky and rebellious with a mind of her own. It isn’t long before the film flashes back to an expositionary chapter showcasing a younger iteration of the character (played by Ayame Koike), exhibiting the same traits she observed growing up.
After escaping her home and wandering into the Yoshiwara red light district, she is taken in by Tamagiku family, and groomed to become a courtesan in training under the stewardship of her big sisters. Imaginably, the choice to become a courtesan wasn’t an easy one, audibly and visually exposed to the kind of atmospheric stimulation that would warp the mind of nearly any young child.
Exemplary of this is the moment she starts bathing in a room full of other nude women as they’re chatting away in banter amongst themselves, and the moment she’s awoken from sleep by the sound of her senior caretaker having sex with a client, peeling the sliding door open and watching the act. Attempts to abscond are shortlived as Kiyoha, pressure-tested by her peers and often the target of ridicule from this point on due to her behavior is finally resigned to not only become an oiran, but to learn the “tricks of the trade” and rank even higher than the other girls.
To this end, Kiyoha’s journey to reaching such milestone is certainly a path paved in constant adaptation, learning to live a life without the kind of childlike innocence most children have, adapting to growing pains and the pangs of heartbreak from falling in love for the first time, and learning what it means to never give up on hope; When we first meet Kiyoha, after befriending the Tamagiku house’s helper, Seiji (Masanobu Ando), she promises to be ready to leave by the time the cherry blossom tree that sits outside starts to bloom. While it doesn’t bloom for years, the tree sits as one of the film’s recurring focal points for Kiyoha’s development and growth.
There’s also a frequent reference to goldfish throughout Sakuran as another core asset for our characters. At one point, our younger lead character takes her big sister’s goldfish and kills it before running away, and then being brought back and punished, and subsequently lectured about what it means for goldfish to survive while staying beautiful. There’s a brutal irony that the film touches on when one of the courtesans picks up a razor in an attempt to kill her client out of jealousy and ends up getting accidentally killed, and it’s the film’s most gory moment in Sakuran as it inadvertantly serves to Kiyoha’s momentum midway into the runtime.
I’m new to Ninagawa’s work, especially learning of her career in photography. With that in mind, I’m convinced it’s played a major role in bringing Sakuran to life on the big screen. The colors pop right at you, immersing the viewer into some of the most picturesque scenes and sequences you’ll ever see. Composer Ringo Shiina’s music score is another crucial component in the film’s veracity, accentuating Kiyoha’s evolution amid Yoshiwara’s millieu, mired in a façade of elegance and beauty that veils its troubling myopia.
At the forefront, lead actress Tsuchiya is amazing and graceful to watch in all her role’s dimensions, coinciding with a script that paints an alluring, vivid, and emotional picture of a woman’s transformation into adulthood. Applied with intricate setpieces and critical creative care, Ninagawa not only delivers the kind of coming-of-age story that could only be told through a Japanese lens, released at a time when films like Memoirs Of A Geisha were released, but also one that serves as poetic, exotic and vibrant a feast on the eyes.
For folks who are keen on the manga, author and critic Josh Slater-Williams provides a deep comparison between the film’s changes from Anno’s published work, in addition to insight on Ninagawa’s creative choices from start to finish. It’s a pleasant track to listen to and he even lets a few scenes play out between speaking segments, allowing some breathing room througout, while the 88 Films disc release also features a twenty+ minute intro into the film that holds a candle to Ninagawa’s career between photography and cinema, and gives their own analysis of the film, cast of characters, and cinematic legacy.
The disc rounds out with an image gallery and a trailer, while the incumbent essay booklet by Jasper Sharp explores the history of Yoshiwara, and the ways in which the film helps recapture much of its essence. The booklet is also host to stills from the film, and portraits highlighting the whos-who of the overall cast roster and moments from the film.
In sum, Sakuran is a provocative and daring drama with a ton of heart. Ninagawa crafts an exotic and emphatic look at a flashpoint in Japan history, told through the eyes of a woman whose trials and tribulations stand the test of time as topical issues of feminism, agency and autonomy remain as relevant as ever. Sakuran is tantalizing, powerful, edgy, comedic, brutal, and one keeper of a flick if you’re in the market for one. Pre-order it now from MVDshop.com ahead of its release on March 24.
