Endless sky. Mountains. Trees. Pristine nature all around. A lake. A temple floating in its mid, a haven of tranquility. A Buddhist monk and his pupil call this place their home, living a humble, ascetic life of daily routines. Surrounding and permeating it all is the circle of life, repeating itself over and over again: spring, summer, fall, winter... and spring again. A year, a lifetime, what's the difference? These are the ingredients of Ki-duk Kim's invitation to lean back and watch, to contemplate and meditate, listen closely to the inner self. While the scenery is guaranteed to impress its viewers right away and throughout the picture, the story itself is basically an allegorical offering, a fable if you will, a touchstone for the individual to measure one's self. Kim's film is simple and straightforward, with no unnecessary embellishments that distract from its core, speaking to the heart and told primarily in images with only a handful of characters and next to no dialog - you won't miss anything. However, while the film is directed to the soul searcher in us it doesn't evoke a philosophically imbued melancholy you might find in European cinema for thinkers represented by the likes of Bergman or Tarkovsky. Rather it opens the doors for you to get immersed in an Eastern world view and it does so with bravura without being preachy or over the top.
Ki-duk Kim has a rather diverse oeuvre to offer, but the zen-like quality one finds in "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" is also present e.g. in his fascinating work "3-Iron", whose original Korean title "Empty House" is much closer to what the film actually tries to convey. In both films food for thought is embedded in a seemingly straightforward story that can resonate deeply, given the viewer's mindset to welcome the Buddhist spirit. It helps to think about the endless sky. Mountains. Trees. Pristine nature all around. And a lake with a single house on it.
Ki-duk Kim has a rather diverse oeuvre to offer, but the zen-like quality one finds in "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" is also present e.g. in his fascinating work "3-Iron", whose original Korean title "Empty House" is much closer to what the film actually tries to convey. In both films food for thought is embedded in a seemingly straightforward story that can resonate deeply, given the viewer's mindset to welcome the Buddhist spirit. It helps to think about the endless sky. Mountains. Trees. Pristine nature all around. And a lake with a single house on it.