Art house: Late Autumn is an example of Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu's genius

Cinematic sublimity is an apt description for the works of Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963), from his initial hits in pre-second world war Tokyo until the end of his career some three decades later.

Late Autumn (1960), the director's third-to-last opus, may be wintry within the context of his filmography's timeline, but it exudes the same timeless aura as other "seasonal" Ozu classics such as Late Spring (1949) and Early Summer (1951), along with the auteur's most internationally famous film, Tokyo Story (1953).

A major factor that these productions have in common is the presence of Setsuko Hara, a leading lady whose outer beauty and inner luminosity became, under Ozu's direction, a bittersweet embodiment of human virtue.

In Late Autumn she is Akiko Miwa, a 40-something widow content to live with her husband's memory but whose single state becomes a concern of her daughter, Ayako (Yoko Tsukasa). The 23-year-old secretary is reluctant to wed and leave her mother alone, prompting her late father's three best pals to attempt to find suitors for both mother and lass.

Though the plot sounds tailor-made for a Hollywood-style sit-com, Ozu transforms it into something more ethereal, while at the same time preserving the premise's humour and humanity. As is the case with Ozu's entire oeuvre, subtlety is the underlying ethos - be it about character development, story twists, or lensing technique . Late Autumn's drama is thus in many ways the antithesis of "drama". There are outbursts of emotion and scenes of laughter, but they are handled with an unostentatious nuance that packs quite a wallop.

Particularly successful is the give and take between Akiko and Ayako, who clearly have a wonderful relationship despite an unmistakable generation gap. Similarly enjoyable to observe is the camaraderie among members of the trio of would-be matchmakers, whose decades of friendship - and admiration for Akiko - has led to a naturalistic ambience.

On a filmmaking note: the easy banter between the movie's denizens is also undoubtedly a product of their long association with Ozu: for example, Ryu Chishu's portrayal of Akiko's brother-in-law is his 22nd collaboration with the director.