Autumn Mists is a succinct capsule of what good cutting can evoke. The film is impressionist, poetic and plotless, but it manages specific narrative through its editing. Kirsanoff says his intention with the short was to imply “nature losing its density and unity,” but we also see this refracted in the emotional state of the central woman.
The most obvious use of editing is that of the reaction shot- images are given drastically new context when intercut with this bleary-eyed, yet stoic, woman. A letter goes up in flames and smoke, filtering out the chimney above: What does this set of shots say? What does it mean, beyond object information? But now every cut is interrupted by this woman, and our unconscious rushes to fill the gaps. Has she written this letter? Has she received it? What does the burning of this letter represent to her? Who is it from? We may not know, but it evokes a feeling in us- We empathize with her grief, with the longing and forlorn expression she wears as she watches the flames consume it. Layer onto this the shots of nature, of the storm battering the puddle and the gauzy lens transitions. By adding a variety of shots Kirsanoff redefines the emotional context of what he is showing us.
Another notable feat of editing is near the very end, where the woman walks along and we match cut with the leaf being swept up in the current of the river. She follows along with it, investigates its origin, and finally her shadow blends with that of the countless tree trunks. Intercutting the human and the natural in matched compositions is that specific artistic editing choice that elevates the film into something this meaningful.