7.0/10
1,500
10 user 29 critic

Sakuran (2006)

| Drama, History | 24 February 2007 (Japan)
Sakuran Poster
A young girl is sold into a red-light district brothel and tries to adapt to life as an oiran (courtesan).

Director:

Mika Ninagawa

Writers:

Moyoco Anno (comic), Yuki Tanada (screenplay)

Stars:

Anna Tsuchiya, Kippei Shîna, Yoshino Kimura | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
4 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

See all 20 photos »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
Herutâ sukerutâ (2012)
Drama | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.4/10 X  

Top star Lilico undergoes multiple cosmetic surgeries to her entire body. As her surgeries show side effect, Lilico makes the lives of those around her miserable as she tries to deal with her career and her personal problems.

Director: Mika Ninagawa
Stars: Erika Sawajiri, Kiko Mizuhara, Nao Ohmori
Next »
Shimotsuma monogatari (2004)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Momoko, a strange and seemingly emotionless girl obsessed with 18th century France, befriends a Yanki biker and the two experience the ups and downs of their unusual lives in a rural Japanese town.

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Stars: Kyoko Fukada, Anna Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki Miyasako
Next »
Nana II (2005)
Drama | Music | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A chance encounter between two girls of the same name, "Nana," triggers a series of events and relationships.

Director: Kentarô Ohtani
Stars: Mika Nakashima, Aoi Miyazaki, Hiroki Narimiya
Next »
Hebi ni piasu (2008)
Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

19 year old Rui finds life deeply disappointing until she falls in love with Ama in Shibuya, Tokyo. She was attracted by his piercings so decided to have her tongue pierced too. Pain is the... See full summary »

Director: Yukio Ninagawa
Stars: Yuriko Yoshitaka, Kengo Kôra, Arata Iura
Next »
Kiraware Matsuko no isshô (2006)
Comedy | Drama | Musical
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

When Matsuko dies of murder, her nephew Sho gets to progressively unveil many details of her mysterious past, discovering she wasn't only a forgotten outcast but led a very interesting yet bizarre life.

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Stars: Miki Nakatani, Eita, Yûsuke Iseya
Next »
Go (2001)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

Sugihara, born in Japan but with North Korean parents, falls in love with a Japanese girl after changing from a North Korean school to a Japanese school. His boxer dad teaches him boxing - skills used a lot.

Director: Isao Yukisada
Stars: Yôsuke Kubozuka, Ko Shibasaki, Shinobu Ôtake
Next »
Kawaki (2014)
Drama | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

As former detective Akikazu searches for his missing daughter, Kanako, he soon learns she has a mysterious secret life.

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Stars: Kôji Yakusho, Nana Komatsu, Satoshi Tsumabuki
Next »
Suwarôteiru (1996)
Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

The struggles of a group of immigrant outcasts living in an alternative-future, xenophobic Japanese metropolis.

Director: Shunji Iwai
Stars: Hiroshi Mikami, Chara, Ayumi Itô
Next »
Soranin (2010)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Meiko and Taneda are a couple graduated from university two years ago. Unhappy with their lives, Meiko quits her job and encourages Taneda to have this band become professional. They ... See full summary »

Director: Takahiro Miki
Stars: Takao Handa, Arata Iura, Kenta Kiritani
Next »
Himizu (2011)
Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

After two teenagers from abusive households befriend each other, their lives take a dark adventure into existentialism, despair, and human frailty.

Director: Sion Sono
Stars: Shôta Sometani, Fumi Nikaidô, Tetsu Watanabe
Next »
Kirishima, bukatsu yamerutteyo (2012)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A story about the disappearance of Kirishima, a star athlete of the volleyball club and how this disappearance of his affect every person in his school.

Director: Daihachi Yoshida
Stars: Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Ai Hashimoto, Suzuka Ohgo
Next »
Yokomichi Yonosuke (2013)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Were people's lives changed by having known Yonosuke?

Director: Shûichi Okita
Stars: Jun Kunimura, Ayumi Itô, Sôsuke Ikematsu
Edit

Cast

Credited cast:
Anna Tsuchiya ... Kiyoha
Kippei Shîna ... Kuranosuke
Yoshino Kimura Yoshino Kimura ... Takao
Hiroki Narimiya Hiroki Narimiya ... Sojiro
Miho Kanno Miho Kanno ... Shohi
Masatoshi Nagase ... Mitsunobu
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Masanobu Andô ... Seiji
Kayoko Aoyagi Kayoko Aoyagi
Ken'ichi Endô Ken'ichi Endô ... Sakaguchi
Mayu Fujimori Mayu Fujimori
Yasushi Higuchi Yasushi Higuchi
Akiko Hoshino Akiko Hoshino
Yuki Hyôdô Yuki Hyôdô
Sadanji Ichikawa IV Sadanji Ichikawa IV ... Retired man
Renji Ishibashi Renji Ishibashi ... Owner
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

A young girl is sold into a red-light district brothel and tries to adapt to life as an oiran (courtesan).

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

courtesan | shamisen | prostitute | goldfish | make up | See All (7) »

Genres:

Drama | History

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] | Official site [Japan] (Japanese, English)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

24 February 2007 (Japan) See more »

Also Known As:

Sakuran - Wilde Kirschblüte See more »

Filming Locations:

Japan See more »
Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC),Asmik Ace Entertainment,Cinema Investment See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Quotes

Shohi: The more a girl is given things, the more the others hate her. Since nobody likes you, it's perfect.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Letting a photographer direct a movie... BIG MISTAKE!
10 January 2008 | by 8thSin – See all my reviews

It's painfully clear that all effort in this film was directed toward cinematography and very little attention to everything else. Most obvious mistake is the miscast of the entire female cast. Many of them are very experienced and capable, but they all seemed out of place, and having an amateur director certainly didn't help. The story is a very common Geisha story, and characters behaved very inconsistently, thus making it extremely difficult for me to connect with the heroine.

This movie's theme is "modern prostitution", but still, it was annoying how Tsuchiya Anna's lead character kept talking like a female motorcycle gang member while everyone else spoke in old Japanese fitting for this setting. This movie has very beautiful vibrant colors, similar to Zhang Yimou's "Hero", but viewers can easily tell it's filmed in a cheap, elaborate set. This is one of those jidaigeki made specifically for foreign audience: "Look at the colors, beautiful geisha, and exoticness!"

The two sequences with Shiina Ringo's insert songs were really nice though, in mid-section of the movie. I actually really disliked her music before, but they fit perfectly in this movie. Although Ninagawa Mika is a complete failure as a film director, she has a major potential in PV (music video) production.

I believe the story felt very plain because the director failed to focus on character development, and because Tsuchiya Anna's unconvincing acting as an Oiran. Had this film been directed by a known Jidaigeki director with any other known actress in Japan, it would've had the potential to become a masterpiece.
17 of 52 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 10 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Stream Comedy Titles With Prime Video

Explore popular comedy titles available to stream with Prime Video.

Start your free trial


Clear your history

Recently Viewed