Memoirs of a Geisha

I really enjoyed the movie - the sadness and hope of the characters, just superbly captured. I thought the best acting came from Gong Li. She portrayed Hatsumomo, a celebrated but bitter geisha who, because of her circumstances, cannot be with the man that she loves. And to add salt to injury, she was being upstaged by an up and coming geisha, Chiyo/Sayuri, the lead character played by Zhang Zhiyi.

But the movie also left me with mixed feelings, of happiness for the lead character Sayuri, who finally could be with the man she loves (the Chairman), at the same time disdain for the men in the film as they used these geishas for their entertainment and pleasure. Nobu-san is probably the most righteous man in the film, with his refusal to bid for Sayuri's virginity (it was up for sale!) and decided not to be her "danna" which was described as a "patron" but more like a sugar-daddy. So in the end, it was heartbreaking because the audience learn that the best deal a geisha could ever hope for is being a kept woman. How dreadful.