"A story like mine has never been told."

2005

2h 26m

7.7(3175 votes)

Drama

Romance

History

Overview

In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.

Where to Watch

Buy

Rent

Links & Resources

Website IMDbView

Social & External

IMDb

Production Companies

Videos & Trailers

3 videos

Cast & Crew

132 members

Acting

章子怡

Sayuri

Acting

巩俐

Hatsumomo

Acting

Michelle Yeoh

Mameha

Acting

渡辺謙

Chairman

Acting

大後寿々花

Chiyo

Acting

桃井かおり

Mother

Acting

役所広司

Nobu

Acting

工藤夕貴

Pumpkin

Acting

Togo Igawa

Tanaka

Acting

Mako

Sakamoto

Acting

Samantha Futerman

Satsu

Acting

Elizabeth Sung

Sakamoto's Wife

Acting

Thomas Ikeda

Mr. Bekku

No Image

Acting

Tsai Chin

Auntie

Acting

Zoe Weizenbaum

Young Pumpkin

Acting

David Okihiro

Shamisen Teacher

No Image

Acting

Miyako Tachibana

Dance Teacher

Acting

Kotoko Kawamura

Granny

No Image

Acting

Karl Yune

Koichi

Acting

Eugenia Yuan

Korin

Production

Yōko Narahashi

Mameha's Maid

Acting

曾江

The General

Acting

Navia Nguyen

Izuko - Geisha in Green

Acting

Natsuo Tomita

Geisha in Lavender

Acting

Fumi Akutagawa

Yukimoto Teahouse Matron

No Image

Acting

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

The Baron

Acting

Koji Toyoda

Male Hairdresser

No Image

Acting

Rick Mali

Man in Grey Hat

No Image

Acting

Steve Terada

Boy on Bike

Acting

Laura Miro

Yukimoto Teahouse Geisha / Spring Festival Dancer

Acting

Diane Mizota

Yukimoto Teahouse Geisha / Spring Festival Dancer

Acting

Yasusuke Uike

Sumo Referee

No Image

Acting

Shûhei Mainoumi

Small Sumo Wrestler

No Image

Acting

Daisuke Dewaarashi

Large Sumo Wrestler

No Image

Acting

浦野眞彦

Sumo Ring Announcer

Acting

Ace Yonamine

Sumo Wrestler

No Image

Acting

Anthony Begonia

Sumo Wrestler

No Image

Acting

Albert 'Sumo' Lee

Sumo Wrestler

No Image

Acting

Dino Rivera

Sumo Wrestler

No Image

Acting

Randall Duk Kim

Dr. Crab

Acting

Takayo Fischer

Tanizato Teahouse Owner

Acting

Asako Takasue

Tanizato Teahouse Matron

No Image

Acting

Clarissa Park

Dancer at Party

No Image

Acting

Nobu Matsuhisa

Kimono Artist

Acting

James Taku Leung

Kimono Factory Worker

Acting

Chad Cleven

Drunken G.I.

Art

Richard J. Bell

Drunken G.I.

No Image

Acting

Cameron Duncan

Drunken G.I.

No Image

Acting

Faith Shin

Little Kiko

Writing

Brannon Bates

Military Police Officer

No Image

Acting

Ted Levine

Colonel Derricks

Acting

Paul Adelstein

Lieutenant Hutchins

Acting

Shizuko Hoshi

Sayuri Narration (voice)

Acting

Michelle Aguilar Camaya

Spring Festival Dancer

No Image

Acting

Janelle Dote

Spring Festival Dancer

No Image

Acting

Kim Hazel

Spring Festival Dancer

No Image

Acting

Ashia Meyers

Spring Festival Dancer

No Image

Directing

HIKARI

Spring Festival Dancer

Acting

Shiho Miyazawa

Spring Festival Dancer

No Image

Acting

Minae Noji

Spring Festival Dancer

Crew

Mami Saito

Spring Festival Dancer

No Image

Acting

Shannon Abero

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

No Image

Acting

Kiyoko Ando

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

No Image

Acting

Miki Fujitani

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

No Image

Acting

Chieko Hidaka

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Acting

Wendy Lam

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

No Image

Acting

Kana Miyamoto

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

No Image

Acting

Brooke Miyasaki

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

No Image

Acting

Nao Nojima

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

No Image

Acting

Shelly Oto

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

No Image

Acting

Nikki Tuazon

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Acting

Addie Yungmee

Festival Rehearsal Dancer

Acting

Cassidy Adams

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Lena Ahn

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Allison Chan

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Deziree Del Rosario

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Emilie Endow

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Rosie Endow

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Hannah Hwang

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Emma Fusako Ishii

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Amy Saki Kawakami

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Stefani Lee

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Teanna Lee

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Melissa Morinishi

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Michelle Obi

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Kasey Okazaki

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Jacqueline Osaki

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Ayaka Oyama

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Jade Refuerzo

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

La Na Shi

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Stacy Suzuki

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Miwa Tachibana

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Jordan Tambara

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Shaye Uyematsu

Student Dancer

No Image

Acting

Etsuo Hongo

Shamisen Musician

No Image

Acting

Tateo Takahashi

Shamisen Musician

No Image

Acting

Masakazu Yoshizawa

Shamisen Musician

No Image

Acting

Kazumi Aihara

The Baron's Guest (uncredited)

Acting

Jennie Baek

Geisha (uncredited)

Acting

Yuki Bird

Wealthy Guest (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Michael Chen

Rickshaw Driver (uncredited)

Production

Allen Dam

Spa Patron (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Maggie Hai-Uyen

Guest of the Baron (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

James Huang

Spa Worker (uncredited)

Acting

Masa Kanome

Radio Caster (uncredited)

Acting

Branden Weslee Kong

Rickshaw Driver (uncredited)

Acting

Aurelie Kyinn

Wealthy Guest (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Ruffy Landayan

Military Soldier (uncredited)

Acting

Teddy Lau

Noodle Chef (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Stacey Lee

Maiko (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Jon Liggett

Drunken G.I. (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Julia Ling

Spring Festival Dancer (uncredited)

Acting

Jia Mae

Sexy Geisha (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Tohoru Masamune

Radio Announcer (uncredited)

Crew

Danton Mew

Takamaya Towel Servant (uncredited)

Acting

Doug Ming

Fisherman (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Ryan Moriarty

Teahouse Patron (uncredited)

Acting

Skye Nakamura

Teahouse Owner (uncredited)

Acting

Sophie Oda

Kimono Factory Worker (uncredited)

Acting

Ricky Pak

Spa Patron (uncredited)

Acting

Steffinnie Phrommany

Geisha (uncredited)

Acting

Catherine Kim Poon

Geisha (uncredited)

Acting

Osamu Saito

Chairman's servant Arima (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Jasper Salon

Tea House Patron (uncredited)

Acting

Austin Michael Scott

Drunken G.I. (uncredited)

Acting

Cathy Shim

The Baron's Guest (uncredited)

Acting

Steve Sornbutnark

Attendee (uncredited)

Acting

Clara Soyoung

Hanamachi St. Geisha (uncredited)

Acting

Aaron Takahashi

Rickshaw Runner (uncredited)

Acting

Ray Tom

Spa Patron (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Henry T. Yamada

Sumo Judge (uncredited)

No Image

Acting

Joseph Steven Yang

Spa Patron (uncredited)

Similar Movies

5.2

1971

The Bug Killer

A teenager fails to find (and keep) jobs which makes his father doubt the reason might be the boy's lack of sexual experience. As all his efforts prove to be unsuccessful, the father gives up, but not the boy's aunt.

Movie

6.9

2020

My Name Is Sara

The true life-story of Sara Góralnik, a 13 year-old Polish Jew whose entire family was killed by Nazis in September of 1942. After a grueling escape to the Ukrainian countryside, Sara steals her Christian best friend’s identity and finds refuge in a small village, where she is taken in by a farmer and his young wife. She soon discovers the dark secrets of her employers’ marriage, compounding the greatest secret she must strive to protect, her true identity.

Movie

7.0

2001

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David.

Movie

7.3

1967

Belle de Jour

Beautiful young housewife Séverine Serizy cannot reconcile her masochistic fantasies with her everyday life alongside dutiful husband Pierre. When her lovestruck friend Henri mentions a secretive high-class brothel run by Madame Anais, Séverine begins to work there during the day under the name Belle de Jour. But when one of her clients grows possessive, she must try to go back to her normal life.

Movie

7.2

2004

Troy

In year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age, two emerging nations begin to clash. Paris, the Trojan prince, convinces Helen, Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband Menelaus, and sail with him back to Troy. After Menelaus finds out that his wife was taken by the Trojans, he asks his brother Agamemnon to help him get her back. Agamemnon sees this as an opportunity for power. They set off with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy.

Movie

8.1

1984

Paris, Texas

A man wanders out of the desert not knowing who he is. His brother finds him, and helps to pull his memory back of the life he led before he walked out on his family and disappeared four years earlier.

Movie

6.9

1979

The Tin Drum

Oskar Matzerath is a very unusual boy. Refusing to leave the womb until promised a tin drum by his mother, Agnes, Oskar is reluctant to enter a world he sees as filled with hypocrisy and injustice, and vows on his third birthday to never grow up. Miraculously, he gets his wish. As the Nazis rise to power in Danzig, Oskar wills himself to remain a child, beating his tin drum incessantly and screaming in protest at the chaos surrounding him.

Movie

7.4

1979

The Marriage of Maria Braun

Maria marries a young soldier in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. She must rely on her beauty and ambition to navigate the difficult post-war years alone.

Movie

7.9

1959

Ben-Hur

In 25 AD, Judah Ben-Hur, a Jew in ancient Judea, opposes the occupying Roman empire. Falsely accused by a Roman childhood friend-turned-overlord of trying to kill the Roman governor, he is put into slavery and his mother and sister are taken away as prisoners.

Movie

6.9

2001

Pearl Harbor

The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Movie

7.7

1995

The Bridges of Madison County

Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson for four days in the 1960s.

Movie

7.6

1951

A Streetcar Named Desire

A disturbed, aging Southern belle moves in with her sister for solace — but being face-to-face with her brutish brother-in-law accelerates her downward spiral.

Movie

7.1

2000

Finding Forrester

Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accidentally runs into an old writer named Forrester who discovers his passion for writing. With help from his new mentor Jamal receives a scholarship to a private school.

Movie

7.4

1993

The Piano

When an arranged marriage brings Ada and her spirited daughter to the wilderness of nineteenth-century New Zealand, she finds herself locked in a battle of wills with both her controlling husband and a rugged frontiersman to whom she develops a forbidden attraction.

Movie

7.1

1986

Top Gun

For Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his friend and co-pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete's dreams of becoming an ace pilot.

Movie

7.6

1987

The Last Emperor

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

Movie

7.1

1968

Faces

Middle-aged suburban husband Richard abruptly tells his wife, Maria, that he wants a divorce. As Richard takes up with a younger woman, Maria enjoys a night on the town with her friends and meets a younger man. As the couple and those around them confront a seemingly futile search for what they've lost -- love, excitement, passion -- this classic American independent film explores themes of aging and alienation.

Movie

5.6

2006

Time of Her Life

Two ghosts, separated by time, who have roamed the grounds of a historic English mansion, searching for each other are brought together by Ally (LAURA PENNEYCARD), a photography student who is experiencing dreams she can't explain and Emmett (GEOFF SHAW), the son of a wealthy industrialist. Emmett befriends Ally and together they unravel the truth behind the disappearance of his long lost love, Catherine a beautiful servant girl. However, Ally must first overcome her fears of his ghostly appearance before she can help Emmett find Catherine and reunite their love. Shot in the beautiful location of Hylands House, this lavish drama with a supernatural theme, leads you through past and present in a series of spine-chilling nightmares, ghostly appearances and suspenseful chase sequences, which moves into a beautiful romance tale, drawing on all your senses from the outset.

Movie

6.1

2003

My Life Without Me

A fatally ill mother with only two months to live creates a list of things she wants to do before she dies without telling her family of her illness.

Movie

7.6

2000

Amores Perros

A fatalistic car crash in Mexico city sets off a chain of events in the lives of three people: a supermodel, a young man wanting to run off with his sister-in-law, and a homeless man. Their lives are catapulted into unforeseen situations instigated by the seemingly inconsequential destiny of a dog.

Movie

Recommended Movies

7.3

2004

House of Flying Daggers

In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

Movie

6.1

2005

The Legend of Zorro

Despite trying to keep his swashbuckling to a minimum, a threat to California's pending statehood causes the adventure-loving Don Alejandro de la Vega and his wife, Elena, to take action.

Movie

7.0

1995

Dangerous Minds

Former Marine Louanne Johnson lands a gig teaching in a pilot program for bright but underachieving teens at a notorious inner-city high school. After having a terrible first day, she decides she must throw decorum to the wind. When Johnson returns to the classroom, she does so armed with a no-nonsense attitude informed by her military training and a fearless determination to better the lives of her students -- no matter what the cost.

Movie

6.9

1996

Swingers

After 6 years together, Mike's girlfriend leaves him, so he travels to LA to be a star. Six months on, he's still not doing very well— so a few of his friends try to reconnect him to the social scene and hopefully help him forget his failed relationship.

Movie

7.6

2003

The Last Samurai

Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.

Movie

7.4

2000

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Movie

7.1

2005

Munich

During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.

Movie

7.7

2012

The Broken Circle Breakdown

The loss of their young daughter threatens to destroy the love and faith of two married musicians.

Movie

6.9

2008

Valkyrie

Wounded in Africa during World War II, Nazi Col. Claus von Stauffenberg returns to his native Germany and joins the Resistance in a daring plan to create a shadow government and assassinate Adolf Hitler. When events unfold so that he becomes a central player, he finds himself tasked with both leading the coup and personally killing the Führer.

Movie

7.4

2006

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in the stench of 18th century Paris, develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. However, his work takes a dark turn as he tries to preserve scents in the search for the ultimate perfume.

Movie

7.5

2021

The Hand of God

In 1980s Naples, Italy, an awkward Italian teen struggling to find his place experiences heartbreak and liberation after he's inadvertently saved from a freak accident by football legend Diego Maradona.

Movie

6.8

2005

Goal!

Like millions of kids around the world, Santiago harbors the dream of being a professional footballer... However, living in the Barrios section of Los Angeles, he thinks it is only that—a dream. Until one day an extraordinary turn of events has him trying out for Premiership club Newcastle United.

Movie

7.3

2012

Les Misérables

An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France. Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.

Movie

7.1

2002

White Oleander

A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.

Movie

6.2

2016

The Sea of Trees

In Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher meets a mysterious lost stranger who takes him on a life-changing journey of love and redemption.

Movie

6.7

2005

Keeping Mum

A pastor preoccupied with writing the perfect sermon fails to realize that his wife is having an affair and his children are up to no good.

Movie

6.6

2007

Love in the Time of Cholera

In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow - she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader.

Movie

7.2

2012

No

In 1988, Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, due to international pressure, is forced to call a plebiscite on his presidency. The country will vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to Pinochet extending his rule for another eight years. Opposition leaders for the ‘No’ vote persuade a brash young advertising executive, René Saavedra, to spearhead their campaign. Against all odds, with scant resources and while under scrutiny by the despot’s minions, Saavedra and his team devise an audacious plan to win the election and set Chile free.

Movie

6.8

2008

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

London, England, on the eve of World War II. Guinevere Pettigrew, a strict governess who is unable to keep a job, is fired again. Lost in the hostile city, a series of fortunate circumstances lead her to meet Delysia LaFosse, a glamorous and dazzling American jazz singer whose life is a chaos ruled by indecision, a continuous battle between love and fame.

Movie

7.2

2009

The Hedgehog

Paloma is a serious and highly articulate but deeply bored 11-year-old who has decided to kill herself on her 12th birthday. Fascinated by art and philosophy, she questions and documents her life and immediate circle, drawing trenchant and often hilarious observations on the world around her. But as her appointment with death approaches, Paloma finally meets some kindred spirits in her building's grumpy janitor and an enigmatic, elegant neighbor, both of whom inspire Paloma to question her rather pessimistic outlook on life.

Movie