Late Autumn (2011)

Why, of why did I read Violet's review? I had somehow fallen into a sort of quiet limbo regarding my favourite actor and almost forgotten about this movie accordingly, when I read her review, ran to watch the movie myself - talk about patience - and was instantly thrown into my most familiar obsession: Hyun Bin.

My bad. To top it all, I agree with her: this movie is beautiful. I know this is a remake of an older Korean movie with the same title which I haven't seen, but from the start it reminded me a lot of the american/french film "Before Sunrise", with the two leads carving out for themselves a tiny bubble in space and time, far from their present lives and the world outside.
The difference - a notable one for me - is that while in Before Sunrise the two protagonists talk a lot, too much for my taste, here silences are a lot more poignant and meaningful. I am actually glad I watched it raw, to the point I think everybody should do so. To elaborate: most dialogues take place in English, but there are moments when Anna speaks in Chinese and Hoon in Korean. English is their communication tool, but the reason why they understand each other is not a language. Apart from the dance scene mentioned by Violet, I fell in love with another, in which she tells him her story in Chinese and he only comments "bad" or "good", depending on what he feels is her mood. Watching it raw, made me live the entire surreal dialogue as if I were him, not grasping one word, but trying to understand what she conveyed with her posture and eyes.

I also agree about the direction, and I have come up with a sort of theory of my own as to why the colours are so subdued. What we are offered is the world outside the prison as Anna sees it. Since colours only depend on our perception, there isn't much reason for her to paint her life. No wonder she wears make up and happier clothes only for a brief moment: they look fake, in contrast with her mood. The only colourful moments are those in which she imagines.
I guess the choice of Seattle wasn't accidental either: as I recall, it is known as the rainiest city in the States.

The acting is spectacular. Hyun Bin is a gorgeous man, but that's definitely not the point of this movie, where he doesn't have to be good-looking: he has to look vain. And I'm glad it is so, for dwelling on his looks would be an offence to his acting skills.
Wei Tang's performance is outstanding. As I said, she expresses a world via silences.

Beautiful music. I wouldn't have minded a little more of it.

I recommend this movie, but only if you are prepared for its pensive pace and all the untold. Not a fluffy watch by all means, and not for anyone looking for comedy.

Leggi di Più

An outstanding movie, actually. Why I didn't give it a 10? Only and only because of the colors... I'll explain. The movie is full of symbolism, most of the time very clear and eye catching... and absolutely fitting. My only complain is, that the director tried too hard with grey colors to make the characters seem more lonely and lost. The only 3 sparks of color were when Anna wore that gorgeous red lipstick and the green dress, the dance of the unknown couple (by the way, this scene is mind blowing and breath taking, silent, and at the same time telling so many-many things)and, of course, the kiss... it was a firework of colors, like the sky suddenly became so bright with sun, you couldn't even look straight...
To talk about acting... to say anything... really won't mean anything... as everything was just perfect, perfect, perfect!
And the music... sometimes it made me dizzy, if I wasn't sitting while watching, I'd fall down for sure...
This movie really made my day!
Totally recommended!!!

Leggi di Più

Overall this is a really good movie. It's very artsy and has good acting (with the exception with a few minor characters which couldn't act very well). There were a couple parts I thought were cheesy, but the main moments between the two main characters were very well played and I could feel their connection. They may be imperfect people, but they are very endearing.

Don't expect a fast passed movie; it focuses more on the two main actors rather than advancing a storyline. If you don't mind artistic style movies which make you daydream, you may enjoy this the way I did. I liked hearing Hyun Bin and Tang Wei speak in English. For the person with a romantic heart it's a good watch.

Leggi di Più

If you are looking for something with a big plot or that moves fast, you need to look elsewhere because you won't find it here. This is one of those quiet and reflective movies.
I'm finding it hard to put my thoughts into words for this movie. The cinematography is beautiful and there is a melancholy feel that seeps in to you. The dialogue is a mixture of English, Chinese, and Korean. The acting was moving. So much was said with so little words. The chemistry between Hyun Bin and Tang Wei was very good.

While the story didn't go where I expected, I still was riveted to the screen. And this movie may be boring to some people, but for some reason it drew me in. All I can really say is that I feel like I'm still going to be thinking on this one for several days.

Leggi di Più

Um filme lento

Eu não gostei tanto, esperava mais por ter Hyun Bin (sei que é um motivo besta mais...).

Ele é um remake do filme de 1966 com o mesmo nome.

A história num geral é boa, a fotografia passa os sentimentos dos personagens, vemos uma Seattle mais acinzentada e com clima melancólico trazendo todo o contexto do momento dos protagonistas.


O final me decepcionou um pouco, ficou meio vazio, mostra uma realidade de que nem tudo está destinado a terminar feliz para sempre, apesar de nossa vontade.


É um filme de uma hora e tanto mas se a protagonista conversou vinte minutos foi demais. Eu acho que eu não estava no momento para assistir algo assim.


Eu recomendo este filme, mas apenas se você estiver preparado para algo com ritmo lento. Não é um fofo, e não para quem procura comédia.

Leggi di Più

I enjoyed watching Late Autumn. It felt like dropping into the middle of a person's life, taking a peek in to see what's going on and then stepping back out and letting them continue their life. It's poetic, it sets a certain tone in the movie to be gloomy, no fuss, it's not trying to prove anything nor does it care for your opinions and it is that way because this is that point in their life. I think the story was well told. it's not a fantasy life and sometimes you meet people and they can change your life for a moment or an eternity. I loved the fork scene and the meaning behind it. it was comical at the same time very detailed and important. I think you would have to read between the lines to understand it. i don't think this movie is for everyone because it's not in your face with the story. I think you would have to focus to see where these characters are in their life to understand them. Who doesn't enjoy the perfect ending, you don't get that here. I think you get a hopeful ending. I mean (you hope that these characters will survive their obstacles in life and be better). I think both leads were great at what they did. If Hyun Bin was a dish I would eat him up without a question. The dimples are killer and the kissssssss, long but intense and strong. That kiss after effects could have lasted you a year and you would have been fine with it. loved the tone of the movie and loved the movie. Once again not for everyone but give it a try.

Leggi di Più