Directed by Kinuyo Tanaka • 1961 • Japan
Starring Chisako Hara, Akemi Kita, Yosuke Natsuki

With GIRLS OF THE NIGHT, Kinuyo Tanaka reunited with screenwriter Sumie Tanaka to explore Japan’s attempted reformation of former prostitutes. The film follows Kuniko (Hisako Hara), an escort who enters a rehabilitation center after the Prostitution Prevention Law prohibits her line of work. But creating a new life proves treacherous—wherever Kuniko goes, the past seems to catch up with her. In once again taking on challenging subject matter, Kinuyo Tanaka paints an empathetic portrait of a fragile community of untamed outcasts.