Robert Lee

An extremely bleak look into the lives of homeless people in Tokyo. The tragic battle with mental illness, and the hopes for a better future for everyone. An examination of how the poor cope through daily mundane tasks. Tragedy and misery follow. Their stories develop amid a growing economy in 1970s Japan. While the forgotten people of society struggle to stay alive. Not a box office cash cow. As this film failed to draw audiences where ever it opened. A disturbing fact was, Kurosawa financed this film by borrowing against his home. With no prospects of ever earning the money owed, he slashed his own wrist and neck, in 1971.