Directed by Mikio Naruse • 1956 • Japan
Kinuyo Tanaka, Isuzu Yamada, Hideko Takamine
One of director Mikio Naruse’s most sublime achievements traces the fortunes of a geisha house struggling to survive in the face of a changing society. As seen through the eyes of the establishment’s new maid (Kinuyo Tanaka), FLOWING centers on the attempts of the brothel’s mistress (Isuzu Yamada) to save her house from obsolescence, even as her daughter (Hideko Takamine) wishes for a different life. A superlative showcase for three of Japan’s greatest actresses, this masterpiece from Naruse’s richest period is an exquisite evocation of a lost world passing into the realm of history.
Up Next in Directed by Mikio Naruse
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When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Directed by Mikio Naruse • 1960 • Japan
Starring Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko DanWHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS might be Japanese filmmaker Mikio Naruse’s finest hour, a delicate, devastating study of a woman, Keiko (played heartbreakingly by Hideko Takamine), who works as a bar hoste...
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Yearning
Directed by Mikio Naruse • 1964 • Japan
Starring Hideko Takamine, Yuzo Kayama, Mitsuko KusabueOne of Mikio Naruse’s supreme achievements, this transcendent melodrama weaves a heartrending story of an extended family tragedy growing out of the Second World War. The great Hideko Takamine stars as...
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Scattered Clouds
Directed by Mikio Naruse • 1967 • Japan
Starring Yoko Tsukasa, Yuzo Kayama, Mitsuko KusabueMelodrama master Mikio Naruse’s final film is one of his most majestically melancholy works, a haunting romantic tragedy about two lost souls drawn together into a seemingly impossible relationship. After...
