I found this movie disappointing and tedious, almost painful to watch. The plot was difficult to follow. Most of the movie takes place in semi-darkness, which is not a pleasant situation visually. I had real difficulty telling the female actresses apart and also considerable difficulty following the plot. I cannot judge how authentic the movie was in terms of portraying Japanese culture of that period, as I know nothing about it myself. So I can't judge authenticity, I can only judge the entertainment value, which was rather low. The tale itself was simply not interesting enough and I kept wondering through the movie "why would anyone want to make this story into a movie?" However, I did manage to sit through the whole movie, which I thought was quite an accomplishment, since the tediousness was really getting to me. I have no idea why the movie has been described as a love story. The "love" element, if it can even be called that, is so minor. Overall, my recommendation is skip this movie, watch something else instead.
Review of Memoirs of a Geisha
