Insect Woman

Economic prospects are grim for young Tome Matsuki (Sachiko Hidari), who was born to impoverished parents in the Japanese countryside. Just out of her teens, Tome -- who's now pregnant and alone -- finds herself working at tough manual labor for a meager wage. Feeling desperate, she gives away her child, Nobuko (Jitsuko Yoshimura), and takes a custodial job at a brothel. There she discovers that through prostitution she can claw her way out of poverty, so she begins to climb up the ranks.