Simply put, this could be one of the finest 'small' films ever made. As warm and soft as a homemade quilt on a cold evening, this is a film which entices you into a state of quiet delight and never lets go, even after the final credits have long since scrolled away.

Shot in New York on a shoestring budget, An Autumn's Tale relies on the sheer brilliance of cast, director, musical score and cinematography to tell a simple story about life and love.

Jennifer is a shy, naive Hong Kong girl who saves her money for two years in order to fly to the United States to study acting with her boyfriend Vincent. Upon her arrival she is met at the airport by her cousin Figurehead, or "Figgy" as he is called, who has grudgingly accepted the task of taking Jenny under his wing during her first days in New York. Jenny has been led by her family to believe that her cousin is a community leader in New York's Chinatown, but nothing could be further from the truth. Simple, unassuming, loud, uncouth and uneducated, Figgy is a former sailor who makes a living waiting tables and gambling; he lives in squalor in a Chinatown slum, content with his lot in life. While his motto is "who cares as long as I am happy?" his happiness seems to hinge on being unselfish and kind to his friends and his newly arrived "Sis 13", as he abbreviates his kinship with his 4th aunt's 13th cousin.

Facing culture shock, poverty, squalid conditions in her new apartment upstairs from Figgy and discovering the faithlessness of her boyfriend Vincent, Jenny slides into depression and despair. Only through the intervention of the eternally optimistic Figgy does she manage to overcome her broken heart and fears, and gradually learns to become an independent woman. As she learns more of the world outside her previous sheltered existence in Hong Kong, she comes to appreciate the unwavering devotion of her cousin Figgy, but seems torn as to whether she can ever truly love a man who comes from such a different world than she. "There is a type of man who is fun to be with," she writes to her friend Fatty back in Hong Kong, "but marriage is a different thing."

Beautiful shots of New York, sparkling like Oz above the trashy streets and honking car horns, is a wonderful backdrop to the story of characters rising above their own faults and fears. Simple piano musics add a wistful atmosphere - very reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi.

While the film is of high merit on its own, what elevates this from a good simple retelling of "The Gift Of The Magi" is the astoundingly brilliant portrayal of Figgy by Chow Yun-Fat. Perhaps his finest character performance, he takes the role of Figgy and adds a warmth, a charm, a human-ness that another actor might not have had the courage or talents to pull off. Completely hiding his "most handsome man in Hong Kong" image in thrift-shop suits, a haircut which looks as if it was done with pruning shears and wears a goatee which resembles nothing as much as an outgrowth of skin fungus, even the most acute viewer will become lost in his portrayal and forget all about Chow Yun-Fat the actor, and see only the simple Figgy before him, suffering through the throes of his first, belated love. This is the kind of performance that directors dream about in their wildest fantasies.

Cherie Chung is beautiful as always, in her simple and fresh way; she portrays the character of Jennifer, spoiled and unsure, in a confident and unassuming manner. While we care for Jennifer, we also sometimes want to shake her and wake her up to the fact that she is throwing away diamonds to grasp at shards of glass. And that is precisely the reaction that shows what filmmaking taken to an art can do - it makes us sad, exhilarated, frustrated, joyful and heartbroken in turn, leaving the viewer at the end of the film with a sense of quiet satisfaction.

Prior to the release of the Megastar HK DVD, apparently all commercial copies on VHS, VCD and DVD were of the same abysmal quality. If you want to own this film, make sure you buy the Megastar release (in the red keepcase) as this is the only one with audio/video of any quality at all. Removable subtitles, better color and image quality as well as a new and improved subtitling make the DVD far and away the best disc available. On previous releases of this film, the video was dark and greasy, the audio full of noise and the subtitles were burned on the print and had a tendency to wander off the bottom of the screen. Not so with the new DVD, happily.

No matter which version you can find, do yourself a big favor - whether you normally do not care for CYF's non-action films or not - and see this movie at least once. This is a film for anyone of any culture, background or age, with an interest in "art film" or not. This picture truly does reflect the other side of Chow Yun-Fat, and I consider it one of my Top 5 CYF Films.