‘Love Like the Falling Petals’ is a Japanese drama where an aspiring photographer falls in love with a hairdresser, only to discover they have limited time. The film is available on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
A budding photographer, Haruto meets a young, skilled hairdresser, Misaki. He instantly falls in love at the first sight of her and her nervousness.
Misaki reveals that he was her very first client, which he finds endearing. Haruto bends the truth and introduces himself as a photographer.
Haruto continues to return, to get his hair cut by her and the two start talking. One day, Haruto decides to ask Misaki on a date and brings up the topic while getting his hair cut. Unfortunately, he moves his head and leads her to cut his earlobe, making him pass out.
A few days later, a frantic Misaki meets with him to apologise where he brings up the question of a date, to which she agrees. Misaki’s protective older brother does not approve, however, as he only wants what is best for her.
They go on the date to see sakuras, or cherry blossoms, where Haruto reveals that he is not a photographer currently and is at a crossroads. Misaki surprisingly gets furious and exclaims at him to pursue his passion, to not give up easily.
Haruto, flabbergasted but determined, takes the advice seriously. He gets a job at a photo studio and continues to work hard. He then asks her out again and she accepts, much to his delight.
They go out and have the time of their lives, leading to the two of them dating and enjoying each other’s company.
The smooth sailing story, however, comes to a halt here, as Misaki falls slightly ill, which leads to a doctor’s visit where she is diagnosed with progeroid syndrome, a disease that ages her extremely fast. It also is an extreme case for Misaki, leaving her with less than a year to combat the debilitating symptoms.
Misaki, devastated, goes into seclusion and cuts Haruto off. She also quits her hairdresser job and pretends to have found work elsewhere. After a few months of leaving him in the dark, she lies and pretends to have found someone else, breaking his heart.
She is cared for by her brother, who tries everything to cure her, but to no avail. They even try out expensive electromagnetic therapy, which was done by an external clinic that promised results. This, however, ended badly as the therapy was fake and the clinic was scamming their vulnerable patients looking for hope.
A few months into the year, her disease continues to age her rapidly and slow her functions down, which makes her lose hope in life.
Haruto, although heartbroken, tries to move on. He concentrates on his work and bears the fruits of his efforts, which heals him slightly.
If you still have doubts about the ending, here’s a full breakdown.
Love Like the Falling Petals ending explained in detail:
Heartbreak and healing
Haruto sees quite a lot of success in his field and even gets recognition from his colleagues and superior. He works hard and manages to schedule an exhibition of all his prized photographs.
He also goes on a hike with a colleague. She inspires him to continue to pursue his dream and work hard at it. Down but not dejected, he aspires to honour Misaki and how he remembered her and her beauty, even if she did not express it herself.
The race against time
Misaki, now completely depressed wants to see Haruto again. Her brother finally decides to contact him and reveal the truth. Haruto, although shocked, agrees to meet her, however through closed doors.
They continue to speak and interact for months without seeing each other and reveal that they are still in love with each other. This makes Misaki ecstatic, as she lost her confidence along with her youth.
Unknown faces
Misaki gets invited to Haruto’s exhibition and musters up the courage to go attend it. Now completely bent over, with grey hair and wrinkled skin, Misaki shows up.
She enters the exhibition and is presented with pictures of all the memories the two made together. She watches her entire life with Haruto expressed in a pictorial form.
Once she is done, she leaves and journeys her way in the harsh snow, where she trips and falls. The comforting hand that lifts her is of her lover, Haruto. However, to her dismay, he does not recognize her. She is extremely dejected but accepts her fate. Misaki dies a while after that day.
Haruto attends her funeral and finds a hat that she was wearing on the day of the exhibition. Reality dawning on him, he is inconsolable. He however is given a letter addressed to him by her, where he receives closure.
He memorializes her through his pictures, in all her glory.
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