The Shape of Night

• 1964
• 1hr 49 mins

Yoshie Nogami, a factory worker by day, moonlights as a hostess at a bar. One of the regulars, Eiji Kitami, invites her out on a date. Still only 19, she goes along out of curiosity and ends up spending the night at a hotel where she gives herself to him. They begin a passionate love affair and move in together, after which Yoshie begins skipping work at the factory and rarely returns to her family home. Before long, Eiji’s demeanor changes and he begins to constantly ask her for money. Despite claiming to be a businessman, he is actually a local thug, and his inability to pay his dues to his gang leads him to force Yoshie into prostitution. Driven by fear and resignation, she begins to entertain clients at Eiji’s apartment but flees when she is asked to pick up customers on the streets. However, a few days later she is captured by members of Eiji’s gang and subjected to a brutal lynching.