at first i thought maybe this was an informal sequel to late spring, what with the same actress using the same character name. but no, i guess it was just a coincidence.
anyway, aside from that, i think i may like this one better. he just seems to be getting better with each movie of his i see. there are actual scenes with real emotions in this film, and he handles it beautifully, from the joy of the widow’s mother at noriko’s acceptance, to noriko’s family’s displeasure with that choice. there just seemed to be more going on in this film, and i especially liked the ending. just..graceful.