Reviews

Just have watched this movie… AGAIN… -- and again have been taken away by its light sparkling beauty and inspiring mood. Believe it or not, this 400-year old play by Lope de Vega is very adequate to modern life. Indeed, the female wisdom of the lady of the high society, caught between her desire of woman's happiness with the man she loves and strict social prohibitions of her rank, eventually teaches her that life is not about social rules but about "allowing the Soul's dreams to fulfill". The actors are wonderful. Both Diana and Theodoro look stunningly gorgeous in the inspired performance by Margarita Terechova and Michail Boyarski, though neither could be even considered handsome by Hollywood standards. Interesting music, heart-felt lyrics, good-natured humor, fantastic surroundings and costumes – everything makes for an excellent joyful entertainment with "feel-good" aftertaste.

I can whole-heartedly relate to previous reviewers' sentiments about this movie. From my own perspective it is also an awesome celebration of beauty. The theme is the same Ozu's favorite—separation of father and his grown-up daughter-- however it is presented in a different, less nerve-wrecking and more humorous way (as compared to Late Spring), but most of all -- within the colorful kaleidoscope of everyday things looking as works of art in themselves. Ozu rejoices in showing the beauty of such mundane objects as mugs, bowls, kimonos, tables, lamp shades, houses, fences, even industrial chimneys and such. Colors and shapes are arranged into perfect compositions and sometimes it seems that still objects actually govern the mood and the flow of people around them. The parallel with Tarkovskij's movies, like Solaris and Stalker, where the harmony of individual objects creates its own layer of movie symbolism, seems natural, only Russian movies were shot more than a decade later. I watched An Autumn Afternoon several times with the same joyful interest and gratitude for the gift of showing us the beauty of everyday life.

This sublime beautiful movie is about feelings and emotions, not about story or action. Its emotional palette is sad and tender. Old parents from a distant province go for the first time to visit their grown-up children in Tokyo and Osaka, hoping to see them in "full glory" of adulthood achievements. They get disappointed by the "modest", busy lives of their off springs with little time and patience for old folks. Children are already fully separated from their parents emotionally and handle the visit like inescapable and rather annoying obligation to do something "nice". The only person who is really glad to see them is their daughter-in-law, caught in her own internal torturing fantasy of "staying faithful" to the long-dead husband. No bond is forever, neither parents/children nor husband/wife… Any bond eventually gets torn down, it should be torn — this is the wisdom of life… But who of us never kept holding to the relation, existing only in our heart? The karmic attachment to the past makes the parents and the young widow extremely vulnerable and causes them lots of emotional pain, which they endure quietly with great dignity, supporting each other with soul-felt love, care and understanding. This movie is made of the very fabric of human life. Absence of any judgment and genuine kindness give it an uplifting rather than depressing mood. We watch, resonate, accept and thank Ozu and his wonderful cast for the truly compassionate and delicate insight into the sorrows of a human soul.

Long ago I watched this movie as a kid and loved the story. Later on I watched it many more times when my kids were growing up, sharing their enjoyment. And I still keep watching it from time to time, but not for the story of course, rather for its very special emotional value. No matter how dragged down I am, it never fails to put me in good humor. This is a magic of genuine and simple human goodness that brightens the day. The movie is BW, very simple in a sense that it doesn't have any computer-generated effects, mind-boggling stunts so typical of today's fantasy cinema-- for those you should look elsewhere. But acting in "Zolushka" is very good. So if you want something that speaks to the heart -- you'll probably enjoy every bit of it.