Late Autumn: Is Life Really That Simple? (Danping Long)

The end of Late Autumn:

At first, I thought Yukiko is the kind of people for whom life is simple. She has a clear business mind, so that she is not bothered by her parent's remarrying as much as Ayako. And it accords with Shuzo's comment later on, that "Girls like that are good sometimes, the sentimental ones are trouble." But after rewatching the movie I realize that actually Akiko is the simplest character in Late Autumn, because for her to live is not about to be but simply being.

"Akiko is the most selfish person in the movie. Yukiko solves problems for her friend, but when did Akiko do anything for anyone?" Mr. LM was right about his observation above, because Akiko indeed never strives for anything. But what if Akiko is right? What if life is really simple, and does not need to be solved?

In my opinion, Akiko preserves her maternal bond with Aytako through wu-wei (non-action). Because she is not pushing anything forward, Late Autumn (秋日和) doesn't need to be a transformational event like harvest, but can stay true to its literary meaning, "A Nice Autumn Day." 

I am impatient to Akiko's "It is what it is" type of lecturing. As a young person, I'd like to take my chances, that is to say, to change the world instead of to change myself. For me, the acceptance and patience required by the latter is harder than "doing something," so I admire Sisphus. I take actions even if I know that the the consequences won't fit my expectations. Will "a nice autumn day" come to me eventually, so that I will realize that I need to do nothing? Until that day happens, I have no answer to the question in my title, just as I am still struggling to know which is better, pipe or dream.

Comments

  1. Krishnan VenkateshDecember 28, 2021 at 5:12 PM

    I think you're right about Akiko's wu-wei. She doesn't feel a burning need to intervene, or (for herself) to keep repeating things, because she already knows that things end and can't be repeated. She's happy that her daughter gets to have an adventure -- and she knows that no real adventure is easy.

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