The Oldest Profession

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The Oldest Profession

1974

1h 23m

Drama

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Following in the footsteps of her mother, 19-year-old Tome has become a sex worker to support herself and her disabled brother in the red-light district of Osaka. Challenged by grisly clients, an environment of ceaseless criminality and an irreducible ennui, Tome finds brief respite in a charged flirtation with a mysterious man whose face she suspects to have seen on a "Wanted" poster around town. A standout by Roman Porno master director Noboru Tanaka, THE OLDEST PROFESSION distinguishes itself within the genre with its bold use of form, gut-wrenching performances and uncompromising depiction of the realities of sex work in 1970s Japan, creating one of "the most distinctive titles of the category" (Asian Movie Pulse).

Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

“The Oldest Profession” is a very entertaining and artful movie, which highlights, once more, the level the Japanese pinku films of the time could reach.

Rated: 7

Sep 24, 2023

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Noboru Tanaka

Director

Meika Seri

Tome Marunishi

Junko Miyashita

Fumie Hirabayashi

Genshu Hanayagi

Yone Marunishi

Moeko Ezawa

Yuri

Akira Takahashi

Asami

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Synopsis

Following in the footsteps of her mother, 19-year-old Tome has become a sex worker to support herself and her disabled brother in the red-light district of Osaka. Challenged by grisly clients, an environment of ceaseless criminality and an irreducible ennui, Tome finds brief respite in a charged flirtation with a mysterious man whose face she suspects to have seen on a "Wanted" poster around town. A standout by Roman Porno master director Noboru Tanaka, THE OLDEST PROFESSION distinguishes itself within the genre with its bold use of form, gut-wrenching performances and uncompromising depiction of the realities of sex work in 1970s Japan, creating one of "the most distinctive titles of the category" (Asian Movie Pulse).

Director: Noboru Tanaka
Producer: Yoshihiro Yuhki
Screenwriter: Akio Ido
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Nikkatsu
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 4, 2025
Runtime: 1h 23m