Girls of the Night
女ばかりの夜 | Onna bakari no yoru
1961
Synopsis
Kuniko, a former sex worker, is released from a reformatory, where she was incarcerated under Japan’s Prostitution Prevention Law. Her hopes of starting a new life are dashed when her past resurfaces. Before long, Kuniko finds herself trapped in a vicious cycle, with little hope of escape.
Editorial
Fusing realism with melodrama, Kinuyo Tanaka’s penultimate feature confronts a callous legal system that penalizes sex work yet obstructs the path to rehabilitation. Exposing the hypocrisies attached to different forms of labor, this subversive drama counters prejudice with women’s resilience.
