Autumn Moon 1992

Pui Wai, Pui-Wai Li, is a 15-year-old girl living with her grandmother in Hong Kong who spends much of her time thinking about her family and her future, especially where she’ll live next or whom she’ll marry. One day, while walking through the city, she spots a twenty-something Japanese man, Masatoshi Nagase who introduces himself as Tokio, and they strike up a conversation despite not sharing a language. They communicate mostly in English, and he asks for a traditional restaurant recommendation, a request that leads Pui Wai to take him to McDonald’s. The moment is both humorous and revealing: while the idea of “traditional” food seems impossible to pin down across cultures, they still manage to connect over memories, birthdays, and a shared sense that food can carry memory. She explains that McDonald’s holds a special place in her heart because of family celebrations, and Tokio playfully challenges the idea that taste travels identically across borders. She invites him to her home, where her grandmother, Choi Siu Wan, prepares a meal that binds their small, fragile circle together.

The following day, Tokio meets his older friend for lunch, a meeting framed with awkward small talk. This friend, the character Miki, is played by Maki Kiuchi. It’s hinted that Tokio once dated Miki’s sister, and when Miki reveals she’s recently divorced, the two go back to Tokio’s apartment for a more intimate encounter. In the midst of these adult complications, Pui Wai carries a quieter, heavier load: memories of her grandfather’s death haunt her, and they deepen her fear of losing her grandmother. Those fears spill into her daily life, including a growing pattern of skipping school, a detail she confides to Tokio in the mornings.

As the relationship with Tokio deepens, the two share gentle moments that reveal their vulnerabilities. They dine again at Pui Wai’s home, teasing each other with phrases in their native tongues, and they attempt to cook more complex meals while keeping her grandmother away from the kitchen. The care for her grandmother grows urgent when she falls ill; Tokio accompanies Pui Wai to the hospital, and they return home to share a simple meal of instant noodles. After caring for her grandmother’s cat, Pui Wai contemplates what will happen if her grandmother dies, and she remembers how her grandfather introduced her to poetry, often prompting her to recite verses.

The grandmother’s condition improves, and Pui Wai and Tokio continue to split their time between caregiving and their own fluctuating happiness. The elder woman delivers a quiet but powerful monologue about wanting the best for her family and ensuring they live long, prosperous lives wherever they may be. Tokio is deeply affected by these words, and when he later reunites with Miki, he confronts the worth of his own life—a moment that leaves him moved to tears, which Miki consoles before they resume their intimate relationship.

Meanwhile, Pui Wai’s dates unfold with a mixture of anticipation and disappointment. Her boyfriend envisions a future that includes moving to the United States and securing a job there, a plan that unsettles Pui Wai and casts doubt on what she truly wants from life. After their respective dates, Tokio helps bring Pui Wai’s grandmother home and the two of them try to keep her cared for, even as she pushes herself to the limit. A phone call reveals that her father has bought a home overseas, signaling that Pui Wai will soon depart Hong Kong to join the rest of her family.

Before long, Pui Wai and Tokio return to a familiar fishing spot—this time a cliff overlooking the water where her father used to take her—where the promise of delicious fish becomes a symbol of memory and belonging. They talk about forgetting the boyfriend, and Tokio urges her not to erase him entirely, suggesting that parts of their time together will stay with her.

During the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, Pui Wai lights lanterns with Tokio, who compares the festival to the Bon/Obon celebrations back in Japan. Pui Wai senses that this year will be her last in Hong Kong, and she recites a fragment of a poem her grandfather taught her, even if she cannot remember the full text. They end the night content, sharing fireworks by the beach as they step into an uncertain future, knowing they’ve created something enduring even as life moves them toward new horizons.