The film begins with mostly still nature shots. This is slowly interspersed with shots of the woman as she reads a letter and has an emotional reaction. The juxtaposition of the emotional shots of the woman with the landscape shots draws the viewer deeper into her mind, as the mood of each scene carries from one to the next. The viewer can see that she is upset, and scenes with darker emotion such as the heavy rain push the feeling further. There is also a sense of death or loss, as the trees lose their leaves and stand barren. While the viewer can try to track a sense of movement or action through the piece, overall, the only focus is on the woman and her feelings compared to the nature around her.
‘Autumn Mists’ style of montage is very effective, as it conveys feelings without words in a way that facial expressions alone could not. Using the Kuleshov effect, the emotions and expressions that could be misunderstood are further defined through the non-human imagery. It evokes a feeling of sadness and heartbreak, but even further than that, it evokes a feeling of hopelessness and despondence. She almost seems to be in shock, although that could also be attributed to the style of acting at the time. However, the comparative shots of the woman to the nature around her are quite moving and will speak differently to each viewer.