Memoirs of a Geisha

After watching a movie with your children or students, we encourage parents and teachers to look for education opportunities to teach with movies. Here are a few discussion topics that can help with lesson plans or teaching in the home.

Sex is the central theme in this story of a young girl who is sold to a geisha household, and trained in the art of becoming one of these mysterious white-faced women. Bare backs and shoulders are shown in bathing situations (in one case there are men and women bathing together) and in other scenes where sex is implied (one with a woman protesting tearfully). Other content has a woman crudely examined for physical evidence after she’s accused of being with a man, a self-inflicted wound provides an excuse for showing off a female’s thigh, and an authority figure beats a disobedient child. Other verbal and physical threats are exchanged and characters are in peril due to a house fire and invasions during World War II. Throughout the movie many characters smoke and drink, and some of them are portrayed as drunken. Only one moderate profanity is used.