Late Chrysanthemums

Late Chrysanthemums , Bangiku? is a 1954 film directed by Mikio Naruse. It follows four retired geisha and their struggles to make ends meet in post World War II Japan. The film is based on three short stories by female author Fumiko Hayashi, published in 1948. The story has been translated into English by Lane Dunlop and is available in the anthology A Late Chrysanthemum TwentyOne Stories from the Japanese.

Tamae and Tomi, both former geisha, live together. Tamae is plagued by migraines, and as a result, she is unable to work as frequently as she would like as a housekeeper in a hotel. She is troubled by her son Kiyoshis relationship with an older mistress. Yet, his new job allows her to repay her debts to Kin. Still, Tamae is saddened when her son decides to move away to Hokkaido. Tomi is a gambler who has not taken good care of herself after her days as a geisha. She laments her daughter Sachikos upcoming marriage to an older man and tries to persuade her against it. Tomi is also indebted to Kin and is unable to repay this money as a result of her addiction to gambling.The last of the four geisha is Nobu. She and her husband own a restaurant, which is frequented by the other women. ........

Source: Wikipedia