articulates the inarticulable. that perpetual loneliness stemming from an inability to connect, a refusal to play the "singles" game of one night stands and futile flirting. a cavernous longing for actual romance, for actual companionship. the irrational urge to push people away and isolate when what you really want is the opposite. the feeling of laying on a crowded beach and still falling victim to the perception that you're the only person in the world.

and complaining about the emptiness…

essential watch for all women turning 30! so many of the issues presented in this story from 66 years ago remain relevant: rent is rising at untenable levels, women must choose between building a family or a career, and customer service jobs are still all about performatively faking a smile and a laugh in exchange for meager money. simultaneously modern and classic, melodramatic and neo-realistic, director Mikio Naruse understood the Sisyphean plight of the working woman—the stress on the body,…