When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

女が階段を上る時

Also known as Onna ga Kaidan wo Agaru Toki, Bước Chân Nặng Trĩu

“The tree sprouts no matter how strong the wind blows.”

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.