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In a nod to her role in Hideko the Bus Conductor (1941), the Hayashi Fumiko adaptation Lightning stars Takamine Hideko as the jaded bus guide, Kiyoko. The endless bickering and money troubles of Kiyoko's half-siblings, their lecherous lovers and her inconsolable mother have all but destroyed her optimism. Centered around Kiyoko's desire for independence, the interior focus of Lightning makes it one of Naruse's most powerful films about the courage to choose life each day without any guarantee of a change in circumstance. Lightning also marked the start of a more collaborative relationship between Takamine and Naruse, who allowed her to remove lines of dialogue from the script. – Kelley Dong

Directed by Naruse Mikio.
With Takamine Hideko, Miura Mitsuko, Kagawa Kyoko.
Japan, 1952, 35mm, black & white, 87 min.
Japanese with English subtitles

Harvard Film Archive Floating Clouds... The Cinema of Naruse Mikio film series co-presented by the Japan Foundation and co-sponsored by the Reischauer Institute