Movies like When a Woman Ascends the Stairs: 20 to watch next
If you loved When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960) — a drama film directed by Mikio Naruse — these 20 movies are the closest matches.
The first picks are what fans of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs most often go on to watch; the rest share its genres and themes like alcohol, widow and money. 6 of them are streaming in India right now — each entry shows where.
Where to watch When a Woman Ascends the Stairs →·Get picks for your whole taste →
- 1
Street of Shame 1956★ 7.7
Shares: Drama
Follows five prostitutes employed at a Japanese brothel while the nation debates the passage of an anti-prostitution law.
Stream in India on Plex
- 2
Sakuran 2006★ 6.5
Shares: Drama
Kiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 3
The End of Summer 1961★ 7.5
Shares: Drama
The family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery become concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 4
An Autumn Afternoon 1962★ 7.9
Shares: Drama
Widower Shuhei Hirayama's caretaker is his 24-year-old daughter, Michiko. Gradually, he comes to realize that Michiko should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.
Stream in India on Plex
- 5
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice 1952★ 7.6
Shares: Drama
The arranged marriage between a capricious woman from Tokyo high society and a quiet rustic man is tested by a marital crisis.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 6
Osaka Elegy 1936★ 6.7
Shares: Drama
Ayako becomes the mistress of her boss in order to pay her father's debt and prevent him from going to prison for embezzlement.
Stream in India on Plex
- 7
Repast 1951★ 7.6
Shares: Drama
In post-WWII Osaka, a middle-aged woman is forced to examine her dreary life and marriage when her husband's young and flirtatious cousin arrives for a brief stay to escape an arranged marriage.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 8
High and Low 1963★ 8.4
Shares: Drama
A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 9
Pigs and Battleships 1961★ 7.2
Shares: Drama
In the city of Yokosuka, Kinta and his lover Haruko, both involved with yakuza, brave the post-occupation period with a goal to be together.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 10
Gate of Flesh 1964★ 6.6
Shares: Drama
In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post–World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh, visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama, shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 11
Gate of Flesh 1988★ 6.2
Shares: Drama
Prostitutes in burnt out Tokyo ghetto of post-WWII Japan peddle their flesh and save one-third of their money for a proposed dancehall to be named Paradise. The hookers live in a bombed-out building, but they accept the precarious situation with typical resolve.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 12
A Love Song for Bobby Long 2004★ 6.8
Shares: Drama
A headstrong young woman returns to New Orleans after the death of her estranged mother.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 13
The Insect Woman 1963★ 7.2
Shares: Drama
A woman, Tome, is born to a lower class family in Japan in 1918. The title refers to an insect, repeating its mistakes, as in an infinite circle. Imamura, with this metaphor, introduces the life of Tome, who keeps trying to change her poor life.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 14
The Dresser 1983★ 6.8
Shares: Drama
In a touring Shakespearean theater group, a backstage hand - the dresser - is devoted to the brilliant but tyrannical head of the company. He struggles to support the deteriorating star as the company struggles to carry on during the London Blitz. The pathos of his backstage efforts rival the pathos in the story of Lear and the Fool that is being presented on-stage, as the situation comes to a crisis.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 15
Marty Supreme 2025★ 7.4
Shares: Drama
Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
Stream in India on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- 16
Intentions of Murder 1964★ 7.1
Shares: Drama
The neglected common-law wife of a Japanese librarian is repeatedly harassed by a young man with a heart condition who seduces her with the prospect of a better life.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 17
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle 1994★ 5.9
Shares: Drama
Dorothy Parker remembers the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table, a circle of friends whose barbed wit, like hers, was fueled by alcohol and flirted with despair.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 18
Zigeunerweisen 1980★ 6.5
Shares: Drama
A surreal period film following a university professor and his eerie nomad friend as they go through loose romantic triangles and face death in peculiar ways.
Not on subscription streaming in India right now
- 19
The Only Son 1936★ 7.4
Shares: Drama
A rural widow sends her only son to Tokyo to receive a better education. Years later, she visits him and finds he has become a night school teacher struggling to support his wife and son.
Stream in India on Plex
- 20
A Geisha 1953★ 7.6
Shares: Drama
Fleeing a distressing family situation, Eiko, a very young girl, becomes an apprentice to Miyoharu, a veteran geisha. Both, determined to preserve their professional integrity, must face the selfishness and ambition of several petty people.
Stream in India on Plex