Tokyo Bordello

Set around the turn of the twentieth century in Tokyo’s red-light district Yoshiwara, master director Hideo Gosha continued his 1980s focus on tenacious women with this mesmerizing chronicle of steadfast sex workers. Sold into a brothel by her destitute businessman father, demure ingenue Hisano soon learns the ways of her new world from the popular establishment’s top three courtesans. Her coming of age is a trial by fire as she eventually rises up the ranks, juggling lovers and her own personal drama with the turbulent escapades of her tight-knit female comrades. Bolstered by gorgeous production design and an incredible ensemble cast, Gosha brings his brash and bold style to this “fabulously lush film... almost every scene is visually striking... a sympathetic rather than salacious look at the lives of the young women so continually and often casually sacrificed to the 'entertainment' system” (Japan on Film).