A Familiar & Obscured Life (Shweta)

     Marriage in all the Ozu films always breaks the central family unit down. Why do the parents always suggest that after marriage they can't have dinner at restaurants together anymore, or take vacations in the same way? Even with an increasing ease in being able to leave a marriage (divorce/death), it still holds a traditional and sacred stand in the films. 

    In Late Autumn, Akiko tells Ayako that they share a familiar life without any surprises, but that more happiness lies ahead for Ayako through marriage. The guilt of being a burden also works its way in for Akiko when she realises that Ayako is choosing not to marry in order not to leave her mother alone. There is a suggestion that marriage is the movement into a new life which completely obscures the one already lived. In contrast to Ayako, Hirayama's son directly voices that if his father didn't remarry, he would come in the way of him and his wife. Living alone becomes an inconvenience and just like in all Asian societies, a widowed/divorced father would live with his son's family. They are depicted not only as helpless but also lonely. An introduction of another family member in the bond that the husband and wife share becomes an intrusion, just as the introduction of Goto implies a complete disruption in Ayako and Akiko's relationship. 

    Alongside the beginning of a new life through marriage, remarrying is a valid prospect for many. Late Autumn presents this idea more bluntly than Late Spring. In Late Spring, Noriko is disgusted by the idea of it and calls it filthy. In Late Autumn, the older men are more open about their desires. In one scene an older man eating sushi asks for clams to which the chef replies, "You must love clams." He then responds, "Clams for me, more tender clams... and red shellfish too." This scene is set up right after Ayako finds out that Akiko might remarry. It parallels with Taguchi and Hirayama asking for clams and red shellfish in a later scene. Hirayama also suddenly cheers up and is excited by the thought of marrying Noriko which is described as an itch he can't scratch and Ayako's friend Yuriko also says, "The world isn't as pure as you think." 

    The openness in the idea of marrying again and the disgust that goes hand in hand with it might present a perversion of the sacredness of marriage. A newer remarried unit cannot obscure the life that has passed like a first marriage obscures childhood. Akiko carries the memories of Miwa and the love and care built over possibly 2, 5, or 10 years is different from a parent-child relationship. Late Autumn presents the different bonds and leaves this idea as a question. While marriage may also be sacred, the world probably isn't as pure as one may wish for it to be. 

    There is also the suggestion that people are meant to pair off in twos, even if this means a father/mother-child relationship. Through the dialogues, we can take it to mean that Akiko may have chosen to not move forward toward more happiness. The prospect of loneliness is also worrisome to the child who leaves their father/mother alone. Yuriko and Hirayama's son both wish to start a new life and see parents as burdensome in this manner. Society forces pairing off because of the guilt that builds up for the remaining family members.

    Maybe this is a societal necessity but when Akiko says that she will always have her husband by her side, a certain individual desire for a partner is represented. A single life removes the possibility for climbing up the mountain again (i.e. making an effort toward happiness). Late Autumn shows us the culmination of a life lived and a movement toward one that isn't going to immediately be simple, but like the cyclical nature of seasons, it will become familiar and without surprises.