Hannari: Geisha Modern

Unfortunately, the film never coheres, consumed with the details of geisha life without fully explaining its importance.

Sohara may have earned the geisha's trust in order to be allowed into their inner sanctum, but based on the evidence here, her moviemaking expertise was not a determining factor.

Theoretically, the endangerment of the geisha tradition offers a compelling premise for a nonfiction film; unfortunately, that thesis is buried so deeply in this poorly structured documentary that it's nearly lost altogether.

likely to hit the mark of appreciation mostly with Japanese historians, government censors, and bookish observers. Boys looking for more will be grossed out by the dry presentation. Geisha, geisha, geisha!

While there's much to admire, there's very little that could be considered entertaining to someone not already enamored of geisha culture and lore.