How can recommending a movie create such a storm of debate? I recently suggested to my newsletter subscribers that they watch Memoirs of a Geisha. In return, I was bombarded with emails questioning why I would promote a film that depicts the life of a young girl sold into a harsh, restrictive world, forced to train her entire life to serve men. Though the geisha are not prostitutes, many who questioned my recommendation didn’t want to see a movie centered around the exploitation of women.
I understand where they’re coming from, and I sympathize with their viewpoint.
But here’s my response: I recommended this movie for the same reason one might watch Roots, Gone with the Wind, Schindler’s List, Exodus, Dances with Wolves, or The Last of the Mohicans. Each of these films is a powerful portrayal of human beings in the face of immense adversity. They are captivating and beautiful because they reveal how people, despite their imperfections, respond to profound challenges.
These films resonate because most of us face difficult situations in our own lives. We deal with struggles, imperfections, and hardship, just as the characters in these films do. And it’s through these struggles that we find the potential to rise above, to find compassion, and to become better versions of ourselves. Memoirs of a Geisha is no different.
The movie highlights how, even in the darkest of circumstances, a small act of kindness can make a difference. It shows that in the worst situations, there are people who will touch your heart and give you the strength to carry on. Most importantly, it offers a lesson on how each of us can strive to be those people for others—those who make a positive impact, who uplift those around them.
When I recommended Memoirs of a Geisha, I had one particular scene in mind. It’s a scene that moved me deeply, one that stands out as the film’s turning point. I won’t give away too much for those who haven’t seen the movie yet, but it’s easy to overlook the profound lesson this scene offers.
In the scene, Chiyo, a child sold to a geisha house, has been torn from her family and manipulated by the most powerful geisha in the house. After a failed attempt to escape, she is severely punished and consigned to a life of servitude, excluded from the training that could elevate her position. At only about ten years old, Chiyo loses all hope. Her world is dark, and she feels abandoned.
One day, while kneeling on a bridge, a well-dressed man stops and asks if she’s fallen. He gently says, “It’s too pretty a day to be so unhappy.” His kindness is unexpected, and it seems almost too good to be true. Chiyo, who has only known cruelty and manipulation, wonders what this man wants in return. But his words are simple and honest.
He tells her, “We all stumble sometimes.” He points to one of the geisha accompanying him and smiles, “She once fell clean off her wooden shoes. Now look at her.” He buys Chiyo a treat from a stand, and in that moment, the darkness that has surrounded her begins to lift. Her eyes brighten, and she joyfully declares, “Now I’m a geisha too!”
This simple act of kindness, this one moment, changes Chiyo’s entire life. As the adult Chiyo reflects on that moment, she explains, “In that moment, I changed from a girl facing nothing but emptiness to someone with a purpose.” It’s a powerful turning point. Though she is still enslaved, she makes a crucial decision: to embrace her fate, to rise above it, and to use her circumstances to transform her life.
And that is the heart of this movie. It teaches us that no matter how dark our circumstances may seem, we have the ability to rise, to find meaning, and to become a source of light for others.
Have you ever experienced such a moment in your life? Have you ever had someone speak words to you that lifted you up and gave you the strength to face a brighter tomorrow? Or, perhaps even more importantly, have you ever spoken those words to someone else, offering them the hope and strength they need to carry on?
Like many of us, I’ve longed for such moments. I’ve desperately wished for someone to lift me up when I felt lost. And, like many, I’ve learned that wealthy souls—those who give selflessly and lift others—are rare. But they are out there.
Would you like to know where to find them? Would you like to know how to become one?
It begins by opening your heart to someone else in need. By offering a kind word, a simple gesture of grace, you can be the change you seek. And in doing so, you might just become the light that guides someone else to a brighter future.