Rêves de chaque nuit

Omitsu (Sumiko Kurishima) works as a hostess in a waterfront dive bar, a disreputable and low-paying job that she tolerates to give her young son a decent life. When the boy's deadbeat dad Mizuhara (Tatsuo Saito) shows up one day after years of absence, he swears that he's turned his life around and that he wants to be the husband and father that Omitsu and the boy hope for. However, harsh reality intercedes, and the duo must make some hard decisions.

These Shochiku dramas are beginning to get a little formulaic: a woman who suffers indignities to provide for her family; a basically decent man who makes bad decisions out of desperation; and children in jeopardy. That being said, this is still worth a look thanks to the good performances by the leads, and Naruse's cinematographic touches.