When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

1960 · 111 min · Original language: Japanese

TMDB 8.0/10 · 131 votes

Keiko, whom everyone calls Mama, narrates her story: she's a hostess on the Ginza, 30, a widow. She describes life's vicious cycle: acting cheerful around drunks, dressing and living well to convey confidence, needing money for these expenses and for her demanding mother and brother, and knowing she's growing older.