만추 (晚秋) Late Autumn

Seattle. Autumn fog and rain. Korean boy meets Chinese girl. Trench coat. Amusement park. Farmer's Market. Lovers. Evening lights. Fleeting romance. 

What is the charm of late autumn that makes people so want to fall in love? Is it the trees gone bare and the chilling wind and the soft lights that glow under the drape of the evening sky? And the trench coats and boots and long scarves, that you wrap yourself in round-and-round your body, and not just that, you need love to wrap around your soul too. A piece of warmth to cling on to. And Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks, Costco and Grey's Anatomy. A city that I haven't had the chance to visit yet. And a transcultural romance - btw nowadays young Koreans cannot read nor understand Chinese - but united in America they speak in a common language, English. 

This movie is reminiscent of 'Comrades, A Love Story' (甜蜜蜜) and 'Sausalito', both love stories of Asian immigrants in a foreign country. Watching 'Late Autumn' brought back that feeling which I've not felt from movies for a very long time. Both Hyeon Bin and Tang Wei are great in their respective roles where Hyeon Bin plays the ardent, pursuant Korean boy and Tang Wei plays the moody girl with a lot of secrets to hold. Feelings are communicated subtly, through their eyes and many conversations. 

Loved this movie. It felt so real.