According to Geist, Ozu wished to convey the concept of "sabi", which she defines as “an awareness of the ephemeral”: "Much of what is ephemeral is also cyclical; thus, "sabi" includes an awareness of the cyclical, which is evinced both formally and thematically in Ozu’s films. Often, they revolve around passages in the human life cycle, usually the marriage of a child or the death of a parent." She points out scenes that are carefully duplicated in "Late Spring", evoking this cyclical theme: "Noriko and her father’s friend sit in a bar and talk about [Onodera’s remarriage, which Noriko condemns. In the film’s penultimate sequence, the father and Noriko’s friend Aya sit in a bar after Noriko’s wedding. The scene is shot from exactly the same angles as was the first bar scene, and again the subject is remarriage."