Kinuyo Tanaka
Japan,
1961
With Girls of the Night, Tanaka reunited with screenwriter Sumie Tanaka to explore the reformation of 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, Tanaka paints an empathetic portrait of a fragile community of untamed outcasts.