Director: Kenji Mizoguchi, Japan 1956, 86 mins, 12

“not just the greatest Japanese director but one of the handful of the greatest filmmakers ever” Richard Brody The New Yorker

Street of Shame is a powerful and poignant drama exploring the lives of five women who work at ‘Dreamland’, a brothel in Tokyo’s red-light district. Made and released in Japan at a time when the government was debating a bill to outlaw prostitution, the film highlights the harsh realities of prostitution and the marginalised status of women in Japanese society, while also offering glimpses of their agency and resilience.

Further reading

1. Senses of Cinema
2. Time Out
3. David Bordwell
4. Senses of Cinema: Great Directors

Trailer