Late Chrysanthemums (Bangiku)

This carefully rendered adaptation of three short stories by Fumiko Hayashi was lovingly directed by Mikio Naruse. Four geishas, now in retirement, look back on their lives and attempt to reconcile their relationships with men while planning their uncertain futures. Bittersweet and at times achingly funny, this was a rare (for the time) Japanese attempt to contextualize gender inequalities within traditional social constructs.