晩春
Late Spring - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
幸せは待ってるもんじゃなくてやっぱり自分たちで作り出すものなんだよ。
— Shukichi Somiya
Context:
This is said during their final trip together in Kyoto, as Shukichi tries to comfort and encourage a reluctant Noriko about her impending marriage. He is trying to impart the wisdom that marriage requires work and effort to become a source of happiness.
Meaning:
Translated as, "Happiness isn't something you wait around for. It's something you create yourself." This line encapsulates the film's core philosophical message. Shukichi says this to convince Noriko that she must actively build a new life and find happiness within her marriage, rather than clinging to her current state of contentment. It is both a piece of fatherly advice and a rationalization for the painful separation he is engineering.
If he's no good, leave him. It's simple, I tell you.
— Aya Kitagawa
Context:
Aya says this while conversing with Noriko, trying to persuade her friend that marriage is not an irreversible, terrifying step. She speaks from her own experience as a divorcée, offering a perspective that is both supportive and stripped of romanticism.
Meaning:
Aya's blunt advice to Noriko reflects a modern, pragmatic, and somewhat cynical view of marriage that contrasts sharply with Noriko's fear and Shukichi's traditionalism. It highlights the changing social landscape of post-war Japan, where divorce was becoming a more conceivable option, and underscores the different paths available to women.