You are here:

Skin of Roses

Name: Skin of Roses
Director: Katsuhiko Fujii
Released: 1978
Duration: 72 min

Representation Score

4.9/10

Fair

1978

Director

Katsuhiko Fujii

Runtime

72 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Skin of Roses is a gritty character study focusing on the economic precarity of women in the Japanese underworld. It moves away from idealized family depictions to explore the harsh reality of systemic exploitation. The film successfully challenges traditional gender roles by portraying the male 'provider' as a source of ruin rather than stability. It prioritizes the lived experience of a woman navigating a predatory system. However, the narrative remains limited by its lack of LGBTQ+ representation and its homogeneous ethnic focus. It functions primarily as a localized social realism piece.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Skin of Roses have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or representations of non-straight relationships.

How does Skin of Roses portray gender?

Good

The story centers around Ritsuko's resilience against male-driven criminality, highlighting how patriarchal structures and male debt contribute to female vulnerability.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Skin of Roses?

Fair

As a localized Japanese production, the film features a homogeneous cast with no evidence of diverse or multi-ethnic representation.

How does Skin of Roses represent religion and culture?

Good

The film critiques social institutions by depicting the exploitation of women within criminal and capitalist structures, presenting a fractured view of the traditional family unit.

Does Skin of Roses include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities within the narrative.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional gender roles by centering a woman's struggle for survival.
Provides a systemic critique of how criminal and capitalist structures exploit individuals.
Offers a complex, non-idealized look at the consequences of patriarchal criminality.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
Features a homogeneous cast with no evidence of racial or ethnic diversity.
Does not include characters representing disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Ritsuko is a popular madame of a nightclub but, ever since her gangster husband got caught and imprisoned, her life has taken a turn for the worst. Now, in order to pay off his debts to a yakuza loan shark, Ritsuko is forced to engage in private sex shows for the VIP clientele. After a year of these special shows, the loan is almost paid off.

How are these scores produced? →