Mono no aware is the Japanese idea of the awareness of the transience of beauty and the ultimate sadness of life. After watching Early Summer can you better understand this concept? Where there scenes that evoked both feelings of joy and sadness, moments of beauty and tears? What were your emotions at the end of the film? What did you think about some of the images we discussed in class: the waves, the photograph, the child's balloon? Are there moments when you felt the sadness and the beauty of life?
Mono no aware, the idea of beauty and the frailty and sorrows of life, is present throughout the entirety of Early Summer. The movie, which focuses on the growth and individuality of a woman who married a man without the awareness of her family, takes care to accentuate this theme throughout the film. It can be seen in the most minor aspects, from props to the framing of the scenes. Each and every minute detail is focused on an overhanging tone, especially present in the scenes focused on the elderly in the film. One such scene is the theatre scene. A short scene, the theatre scene has a focus on one of the older characters, specifically on their hearing. As the characters question whether or not he could hear the show, we are given a shot of his face which shows that he himself is aware of this. It's an incredibly heavy scene, and one of the few scenes that I think can universally be felt and understood by the audience members. Mono no Aware implies that everyone should die by a certain age to retain their dignity, but is it truly worth it? Mono no Aware asks the question: Is it better to live a long life where you will slowly lose your physicality, or is it better to just end it all sooner? And in the theatre scene, the audience sees this question in its entirety. The older man is struggling, but he doesn't seem unhappy. To call it undignified, by today's standards, would be inaccurate, but at the time, it might've been.
ReplyDeleteIn Early Summer, the central family’s separation as a result of Noriko’s engagement is the ultimate representation of mono no aware and life’s bittersweet impermanence. The film follows Noriko, a 28-year-old Japanese woman, as she faces the collision of pressure from her family to marry and her own independent nature and disinterest in marriage. As the story progresses, we meet the members of her extended family, whom she has lived with in Tokyo since she was a young girl. At the end of the film, despite having had a different match approved by her parents, Noriko agrees to marry a childhood friend. Initially, her parents are not thrilled with her decision but ultimately approve, and the family realizes they will be broken apart. In one scene, the family sits together and reminisces about the life they shared. They reflect on the childhood of Noriko and her brother and all the memories they made while living together. This scene where the family appreciates all the beauty of their lives together represents mono no aware and the appreciation of life’s amazing gifts that do not last. The end of the family’s living together comes quickly and catches them by surprise, representing the philosophy in mono no aware that life’s best moments are fleeting. At the end of this scene, Noriko runs off, crying that she has caused the family to split apart. This scene represents another element of mono no aware: while beautiful, life’s impermanence is also sad. The bittersweet ending of Early Summer represents life’s ephemeral nature and how moments in life are both cherished and mourned when they come to an end.
ReplyDeleteThe film Early Summer, directed by Yasujiro Ozu, showcases Mono No Aware through the family's seemingly abrupt split up when the protagonist, Noriko, is married. Capturing the transient nature of life in the process, evoking both moments of joy and sadness. At the start of the film, the audience is introduced to the life of a middle-class family in post-WW2 Japan. They are following Noriko, a young woman who faces pressure from her family to get married, pushing her to choose between staying single or marrying a man she doesn’t love. And as the story progresses, Noriko is suggested with the idea of marrying a childhood friend who is moving away for a better job. Accepting this marriage, her parents also accept, happy that she will be married. However, because of this decision, they realize the family will be split up, building up the idea of Mono No Aware. Noriko’s departure represents the passage of time, highlighting the inevitability of change and the transitory nature of life. Scenes such as the waves, the photograph, and the child’s balloon further emphasize this. They all represent the fleeting moments in life as the waves symbolize how life's beauty comes and fades away, leaving behind only memories that can be captured with photographs. As with Noriko’s departure, the beauty of her marriage goes hand in hand with the sadness of her leaving home. These images fully capture the essence of Mono No Aware, as they evoke a range of emotions in the audience, reminding them of the bittersweet nature of life.
ReplyDeleteEarly summer (1951) is a film directed by Yasujirō Ozu. The movie depicts the life of a family living in Tokyo during the early 1950s. The story revolves around the character of Noriko, a young woman in her late twenties, who lives with her mother and father, her brother, and his family. The movie explores the themes of family, tradition, and the impermanence of life, which are closely related to the Japanese concept of mono no aware. Mono no aware is a Japanese term that describes the bittersweet feeling of impermanence and the fleeting nature of life. It refers to the appreciation of the beauty of things that are temporary and the melancholy that comes with their passing. In Early summer, the theme of mono no aware is evident throughout the film. The characters are constantly reminded of the fleetingness of life, and they struggle to come to terms with the passing of time. Noriko, for example, is torn between the expectation of her to marry and start her own family and her desire to stay with her current family in her current home. She is being pressured to find a husband, and in an act of defiance, she picks her own without her parent’s blessing. In doing so, she brings the moment she and her family have been dreading to the present. She will be moving to Tokyo with her soon-to-be husband, and her brother and his family will move out of the house. The film's ending shows a final family dinner, where they reminisce about the childrens childhoods. Noriko cries, and they all hope that they will return together soon. In the final scene, the father talks to his wife, saying that although their family is now scattered, they have done well for themselves, and have had a good life. These final scenes represent Mono no aware. They are bittersweet and melancholy and represent how life is always changing.
ReplyDeleteThe 1951 film "Early Summer," directed by Yasujiro Ozu, captures the essence of mono no aware through various scenes depicting life's transience, such as fleeting moments of childhood and the beauty of nature.
ReplyDeleteThe scene with the balloon is a perfect example of mono no aware, as it beautifully captures the impermanence of life. As Shukichi Mamiya and Shige Mamiya fondly reminisce on their past experiences while in the city, they spot a solitary balloon drifting in the sky. Shukichi points out that there must be a little boy crying somewhere, which reminds them of their son who went through the same experience. This moment captures the balloon as a symbol of transient happiness . Once the balloon is gone one can only look up to the sky and remembrers, similarly after the death of a loved one all that’s left is the memories of them. Along with symbolism, mono aware is present in the dialog regarding their son Koichi who was lost during the war. Shukichi accepts his loss, while Shige is still hopeful for his return. Shukichi embraces his life for what it was, appreciating those moments even more with Koichi’s loss, and because of this he feels more fulfilled in his life. Towards the end of the movie, Shukichi is strolling outside when his path is blocked by a passing train. Instead of getting annoyed, he chooses to sit down and observe the train as it goes by. After the train passed, he remains fixated on the same spot, not longing for or tracking the train as it leaves. His mindset aligns with the principles of mono no aware, emphasizing the beauty of impermanence.
Throughout the film, Ozu furthers the concept of mono no aware, by utilizing long drawn out shots of nature. These scenes often show landscapes, such as mountains, fields, the sky, waterfalls, or waves. The purpose of these scenes is to create a sense of peacefulness and harmony with nature, which reflects the philosophy of mono no aware. This concept encourages people to embrace the fleeting nature of life and find beauty in its impermanence. Where most directors would cut scenes after the characters or object in focus leave, Ozu lingers, allowing for a greater appreciation. For example, the ending of the movie follows a field flowing in the wind. The camera lingers on the passing landscape for several minutes, allowing us to take in the beauty of the scenery. Ultimately, Yasujiro Ozu's "Early Summer" is a beautiful exploration of the beauty in life's fleeting moments, reminding viewers to appreciate what they have while they have it.
Early Summer is much about the impermanence of life as its style is, that being the style of Mono no Aware. This style encompasses the representation of beauty of fragility of life, of structure, and in this movie's case, of family bonds. Though the emotions in the film sometimes felt forced or otherwise unnatural, the subject matter that the film had was very much an emotional topic. The discomfort that comes from being told that you're old enough to need to get married to someone, that emotional disconnect is present in the film and really helps the audience to empathize with the film's characters, their motivations and their struggles. It also helps that in this film, the broad majority of shots show entire settings and sounds. It's very much focused on the environment and its beauty, of smaller moments taking the driving seat to the bigger ones, and that's what Mono no Aware is all about. Scenes of the two boys playing with trains or running away with home, while not being essential to the story, show moments of levity and happiness. The scene where the protagonist and her friend are eating cake, or when that group of friends are just talking, all serves to show the good times that can come out of life, but also of the temporary nature of these events. By the end of the story, those moments of friendly interaction can turn cold and distanced, representing how fragile that family's life is, and that is by design. To embody the values of Mono no Aware, the film has to change its contents, its moods, its themes, all in the service to showcasing (even if we don't notice it) the everchanging nature of life. Early Summer embodies these values with few, if any hiccups, and demonstrate the fleeting beauty that comes with Mono no Aware.
ReplyDelete