Monday, April 13, 2015
Mono No Aware
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, moment of beauty and tears? What were your emotionas at the end of the film? What did you think about some of the images we discussed in class: the waves, the caged bird, the child's balloon? Are there moments when you felt the sadness and the beauty of life?
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Throughout Early Summer there are scenes that created a feeling of both joy and sadness. The time before Noriko leaves the house was both happy because she was finally able to start a new life for herself but sad because she was leaving her family. The family had cared so much for each other and stayed together for so long that breaking them up was probably the hardest thing to do. My emotion at the end of the film was a little sad, however I felt more joy than sadness. It is exciting to be able to start a life with someone that you love. I was really happy for Noriko! One of the images that we talked about in class specifically the balloon struck me. It was like the balloon had probably given so much happiness to the little child that had it but now that balloon was floating off to space. It was almost like one the child got tired of the balloon, they let it go, like happiness only stays for a little bit before it leaves you. There is also the case that the child still felt happiness towards to balloon but the balloon fell out of the child’s hand, like happiness sometimes escapes us even if we don’t want it to. The beauty of life is that you don’t know what’s going to happen and sometimes life takes unexpected turns. There is never a definite plan in life with set emotions. In order to get everything out of life you need to experience a little bit of sadness and joy.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the movie Early Summer, I have a better understanding of “mono no aware”, the Japanese concept of the transience of beauty and the ultimate sadness of life. There are many scenes throughout the film that display moments of both happiness and sadness. For example, the scene where the whole family is taking a picture together creates both joyful and sad emotions because Noriko will be starting her new life with her husband soon. This concept is sad because she is moving far away from her family, and change is always difficult to cope with. But, this moment is also joyful because Noriko is embracing the opportunity to start a new life and love her husband. Another scene that creates happy and sad feelings at the same time is when Noriko tells her future husband’s mother, Sugimura Haruko, that she will marry her son. Sugimura immediately begins to cry, but not out of sadness. She is so thrilled that her son is marrying a wonderful girl like Noriko. This scene is also sad because the audience begins to realize that Noriko will be leaving her family soon because of this decision. The image of the child letting go of the balloon also caused opposite feelings of joy and sadness. The idea that the child lets go of the balloon, which makes him happy, can be compared to Noriko’s decision. Noriko’s family gives her comfort and joy, just like what the balloon gives to the child. But, similar to the child letting go of the balloon, Noriko has to let go of her family in order to find a new happiness. Ultimately, at the end of the film I felt happiness. I enjoyed the fact that Noriko was confident in her decision, and that her family eventually accepted her and her new happiness.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the film Early Summer, I believe that I have a much better grasp of the concept mono no aware or the idea of sadness at the center of beauty. At the end of the film I think that I did have a little bit of a mono no aware sense. I was happy that Noriko was finally able to find the person that she wished to marry and that she was going to be happy. But, at the same time there was an overwhelming sadness seen during the family picture because the audience knows that this is the last time that the entire family will be together for quite some time. Even though the picture shows a happy and loving family there is a certain sorrow to the picture seeing as every member of the family will begin their lives in a different direction. One scene where I think that the audience is really able to see the sadness and the beauty at the same time is when the child has let go of the balloon and the audience watches it depart from view. The image of the balloon floating up in the sky itself is very beautiful; it brings almost a calming and happy tone to the scene. However even though the balloon is beautiful, on the other end of the string there used to be a child that so dearly held onto it before the wind took it away. I think that there are examples of the sadness in the beauty of life to be seen every single day. The beauty of life is not knowing what is going to happen next, and the sadness is knowing that eventually all of it may come to an end.
ReplyDeleteThe film Early Summer revolves around the concept of 'Mono No Aware,' which is the 'awareness of the transience of beauty and the ultimate sadness of life.' Mono No Aware is a progressive ability to live in the moment rather than being preoccupied by external fleeting stimuli. At the core of the concept, an individual is completely aware that the past and future are physically unattainable. In essence, the past is gone and only existed within the perception of the consciousness, and therefore, it cannot be altered. The future is entirely nonexistent since each perceived 'future' moment becomes the present moment. A 'future' moment not only will never exist in one's consciousness, but a next moment is never ensured. On a more comprehendible scale, an individual can be certain that he is alive today, yet tomorrow is not promised nor will it ever exist. Mono No Aware acts on this understanding of the awareness of the present moment because it emphasizes the fact that everything that you have 'now,' you will only have for 'now,' and it may not exist 'tomorrow.' Early Summer depicts a woman's decision to get married, and it concentrates on the implications that this decision has on her family members. The family must ultimately come to the realization that they must cherish every last moment with their daughter because she will soon be gone. After they come to this realization, they can then appreciate the beauty of their daughter.
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ReplyDeleteThe idea of Mono no aware is present throughout the entire plot of Early Summer but just as it is perceived in life, mono no aware is most accentuated towards the end of the film. The moment in the film where one really starts to feel sadness while observing beauty is when the two grandparents are sitting on a bench and watching the lone balloon drift through the sky. The most obvious example of mono no aware in this scene is when the man says that this is the happiest time of his family’s life. He attributes this sentiment to the fact that it is the last time that his family will all be together before his daughter leaves to get married. The viewer is able to observe the beauty that is his small happy family while at the same time he realizes that their separation and death is imminent. The more metaphorical example of mono no aware in this scene is the lone balloon that floats throughout the sky. The contrasting bright color against a scenic landscape creates a beautiful image but the metaphor is tainted by the fact that the little child who lost his balloon must be incredibly depressed. Another scene that embodies the concept of mono no aware is the last scene where the camera pans out around the landscape which includes the family’s home. The scene is picturesque and beautifully represents the happy family that exists inside. However, the landscape makes the house and in turn the family look puny, and insignificant which emphasizes the imminent demise of all inside.
In Early Summer, the idea of mono no aware is frequently seen when the theme of freedom is involved. Throughout the movie, freedom, or lack thereof, makes it much easier to understand how certain parts of life have both an inherent happiness and sadness. One of these most prominent scenes is when Noriko decides to get married. This is a happy event for the most part, because she is starting a new chapter in her life and is making her family happy. However, the audience also feels that with marriage, Noriko is losing some freedom and independence. She must now live a life in which she does not have total control. In this situation, an inherent part of happiness is losing some of the benefits of being single. In addition to scenes and major plot points, certain images throughout the film also show how freedom is often a part of mono no aware. At one point, there is a shot of a balloon floating alone through the sky. The balloon is free and is a symbol of joy, yet one knows that someone has lost the balloon and is missing it. The caged birds present a similar idea. The songs of the birds are beautiful, yet they come at a price. The birds must be caged in order for their beauty to be enjoyed. The waves seen in a few moments throughout the movie are also used to communicate the idea of mono no aware. The waves are a symbol of progress, and can represent the fact that things are constantly changing. This change allows for new opportunities in life, yet the waves are also seen in an empty ocean. Change, which is generally considered to be positive, seems to have loneliness as an inherent part. As the movie ends, one feels the strongest feelings of sadness and beauty and realizes that they are an inevitable part of life. Early Summer does not have a very strong plot; it is simply a depiction of everyday life. As this film comes to a close, one sees that life goes on no matter what and brings new opportunities for both beauty and sadness.
ReplyDeleteAs a whole, Early Summer is a beautiful depiction of family life and relationships. You see this in the relationship between Shukichi and Shige, an elderly couple and parents of two adult children, Noriko, the film’s protagonist, and Koichi. A third child, Shoji died as a Japanese soldier during World War Two. Family is one of the most sacred treasures there is in life, and each member of a family makes up a valuable part of that treasure and when someone in the family dies, part of that treasure is forever lost; it can never return. When Tami, a family friend asks Shukichi about Shoji, he remarks that his son “won’t be coming back” and he has “given up hope.” While Shoji’s death might be devastating for Shukichi, it’s interesting to see how he comes to view it with a certain acceptance. This attitude reflects the Japanese idea of the awareness of the transience of beauty and the ultimate sadness of life known as mono no aware. In Shukichi’s case the devastation of losing his son is juxtaposed with the images of his living family and their joys and sorrows. Perhaps one of the poignant examples is the marriage of his 28 year old daughter of Noriko. Despite her parents’ wish for her to marry another man who they view as more compatible, Noriko chooses to marry Kenkichi, Tami’s son and a childhood friend. This thrills his mother but upsets her parents, although they eventually learn to accept their daughter’s choice. Noriko has been looking for love for years and suddenly she realizes that love was waiting for her with Kenkichi and she didn’t’ realize it. This idea of Noriko’s marriage and her family’s disappointment again shows how joy and sorrow are interlinked. At the end of the film, I felt both frustration and contentment. My frustration was based on the fact that we were not invited to see Noriko’s wedding. This crucial element of the plot is replaced with a generic wedding of an anonymous couple. Noriko’s parents watch this wedding, once again demonstrating the notion of Mono no aware to the audience. The parents reminisce and acknowledge that they have been through so much in their mutual lives – they have been scattered but have “done better than average.” Despite their losses and pain, they have one another and they have accepted their past. While beauty is transient and life can be sad, there is a way to accept one’s lot in life and feel that the cup is half full. When I think about that lesson from the film, I am no longer frustrated; I leave the film feeling content.
ReplyDeleteIn the Japanese film Early Summer, the idealism known as “Mono No Aware” played a massive role in the intended takeaway from the story. “Mono No Aware” is a belief that finds both beauty and sadness in the passage of time; events which are fleeting and limited are appreciated for both their internal qualities, but also because of their fleeting and limited nature. The overall lesson from the belief is to appreciate that which is ephemeral while it still remains, and the film Early Summer is continuously zooming in on this aspect of life and exposing the nature of individuals through their ability to grasp at the present, and enjoy life. The reason to think that Early Summer is so focused on Mono No Aware becomes clearer if one is to analyze the overall happiness of the characters combined with their focus on enjoying the present. The happiest persona in the film is by far the grandfather in the family, who often takes time to stop and enjoy a passing cloud or just to stare outside of a window, lost in thought. The appearance of this tendency is not hidden either, as his family often pokes fun of the Grandpa for being more or less absent from the same reality as them, although they do not seem to question that he also appears to be significantly happier. The rest of the family, in contrast with the grandpa’s ability to appreciate the present, are in a constant rush for their future, and are subsequently stressed and frantic as opposed to content with their lives.
ReplyDeleteTo the untrained viewer, Early Summer presents an incredibly dull progression of a family throughout the movie. However, upon further investigation, the viewer can being to appreciate the choices made in the film – mono no aware, also known as the concept that fleeting things are beautiful is expressed through this film by the separation of the family and the seemingly insignificant scenes. The first indication of mono no aware is the family itself. The family exists not only to provide minimal plot towards the movie but also to make a noticeable difference in the way that each generation acts. In a sense, the younger generation (Koichi and younger) acts arguably more selfish than the older generation (essentially limited to the grandparents) who capture the essence of mono no aware. While the older generation takes advantage of every moment they are given, they are still accepting of the fact that their time as a family is close to done. Conversely, the younger generation acts almost impulsive towards life (when compared to the older generation). Next, the scenes with the ever fleeting nature of the earth exemplify the beauty behind their lives. Particularly with the grandparents, the appreciation in life are shown through the scene with the clouds and the scene with the bride. Not only are these scenes fleeting themselves, but the clouds suggest an appreciation of one’s life while the bride suggests appreciation towards familial happiness.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie Early Summer there are several instances of mono no aware, it was interesting how the director used this concept in the movie. The concepts of the most beautiful things are always fleeing from our company. This is true about many of the things in our life such as cherry blossoms in the spring; many people find them to be the most beautiful flower out of all the flowers. This may be because they are only around for a little while before they die. The sense of the fleeing in this movie is the scene with the two grandparents, admiring a balloon and how pretty it looks. However people and kids receive balloons the most when they are kids, so in some sense it’s almost as if they are admiring what was once innocent in their lives. Along with this scene the other one is the picture being taken of the family when they all smile in the picture and look so happy and in that moment are happy. However, that will soon all be gone because the family is going to be separated from each other. That is something they don’t have any control over but it’s going to happen so they are just trying to enjoy the moment they are in because they know it will be over soon. This film although it moved slowly it was very symbolic and was very interesting in that way. I think everything that is worth something in your life has the sense of sadness and beauty.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching Early Summer, I do feel like I better understand the concept of mono no aware. The idea that things are beautiful because they are fleeting is highlighted in this film many times. The most symbolic scene, in my opinion, is the scene with the child's balloon when it is floating away and the two grandparents watch it drift off. They are discussing how beautiful the balloon looks in the sky as it wanders away. This is because of mono no aware. The grandparents know that this balloon will not be within eyesight after a couple seconds. This balloon also symbolizes their family because it is soon to be split up with the grandparents moving and the marriage, this makes them realize just how beautiful their family is and how much they are going to miss them. Another scene I really enjoyed in the film was when the grandfather was going on a walk and he reached a railroad while a train was crossing. He walked over to the bench and sat down, staring at the sky. He takes his time to appreciate life and this moment in time because he knows it will not last forever and it is a beautiful time in his life. This is the concept of mono no aware which he is realizing in this moment. The grandfather throughout the film is the most thoughtful and calculated of the family and it is because of his understanding of this concept.
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