The Woman in the Rumor

A Japanese film set in Kyoto. Hatsuko runs a pleasure house. Her business is in order, she gets on with the women who work for her and her word carries in the district. She is involved with a doctor much younger than she is; she gives him money and supports his practice. Her daughter Yukiko comes back from Tokyo. She was about to be married when the other side learned what her mother does and broke the engagement; she then attempted suicide and has now come home. Yukiko is ashamed of her mother's work and keeps her distance from the women in the house. Then, helping one of them who falls ill, she starts talking to them. The same doctor comes and goes. A closeness begins between him and the daughter, and Hatsuko notices. The matter at the centre is not the triangle but the economic position of women: Hatsuko does this work to educate her daughter, the daughter is ashamed of it, and the doctor can use both of them for his own career. Kinuyo Tanaka plays Hatsuko and Yoshiko Kuga plays Yukiko. Kenji Mizoguchi directed. Throughout, the camera stays back and the scenes are shot without cutting. A solid production for anyone who likes Japanese classics and social drama. For a viewer expecting an emotional resolution, the film offers nobody an easy way out.