The main character, frequently referred to as Mama, has a really hard road to hoe. She is the underlying support for her friends and relatives. She is a widow who, in most circumstances, should be left alone. But she is constantly being hit on financially and emotionally. She works in the Ginza, which is a collection of bars in post war Tokyo. She has to cater to rich men, to give them a good time. There is great competition among bars and when the men who own them don't make a profit, the hostesses pay the price. She has a brother who has a son with polio. He is cowering leech. Men come on to her, but she knows what they really want. This is a rather inspiring film, despite its dark subject matter, because she manages to rise above the hand dealt to her. The stairs are a symbol of the Sisyphuseian battle that she wages from one day to the next. I'm hoping to find another film or two by this director, if they have been distributed.
Review of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
