I’ve always loved Memoirs of a Geisha as a novel, read it more times than I can count, so watching the film came with a mix of excitement and caution. The movie captures the lush beauty of the world: the silk, the streets of Gion, the rituals, the rivalries. Visually, it’s stunning, and it hits several of the book’s emotional beats. I could see the effort to bring such a layered story to the screen.
But the depth that makes the book so immersive doesn’t fully translate. Key relationships feel rushed, and the internal conflict that drives Sayuri’s choices gets flattened. The film softens the harsher realities the novel explores, creating a more romantic and streamlined version of events. It’s understandable, there’s no way to fit everything into two hours, but it left me wanting more of the nuance and emotional grit that made the book unforgettable.
In the end, it’s a respectable adaptation, beautiful to look at, but lacking the weight and complexity that made the original story resonate so deeply.
Score: 5/10 – Watchable, but missing the book’s soul.
