Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom (2003)

Director:

Ki-duk Kim

Writer:

Ki-duk Kim (writer)

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This film takes place in an isolated lake, where an old monk lives on a small floating temple. The wise master has also a young boy with him that teaches to become a monk. And we watch as seasons and years pass by.

Plot Keywords:

Lust | Monk | Catharsis | Love | Seasons

Awards:

11 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Yeong-su Oh	...	Old Monk (as Young-soo Oh)
Ki-duk Kim	...	Adult Monk
Young-min Kim	...	Young Adult Monk
Jae-kyeong Seo	...	Boy Monk
Yeo-jin Ha	...	The Girl
Jong-ho Kim	...	Child Monk
Jung-young Kim	...	The Girl's Mother
Dae-han Ji	...	Detective Ji
Min Choi	...	Detective Choi
Ji-a Park	...	The Baby's Mother
Min-Young Song	...	The Baby

Also Known As:

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring (Australia) (UK)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (International: English title) (USA)
Frühling, Sommer, Herbst, Winter... und Frühling (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong sexuality.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

South Korea | Germany

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hungary:16 | Japan:R-15 | Denmark:11 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) | Finland:K-15 (original rating) | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Mexico:B15 | Netherlands:MG6 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R | Chile:14

Company:

Korea Pictures

Trivia:

The inscription on the floor is "The Heart Sutra", one of the most important Sutra of Mahayana Buddhism, written in literary Chinese.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the cops take the young adult monk away and the old monk is standing on the monastery watching, a fine monofilament can be seen pulling the boat, which is ostensibly floating on the current, back to the monastery.

Quotes:

Old Monk: Lust awakens the desire to possess. And that awakens the intent to murder.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Holiday (2006)

Perfect Simplicity

Perfect Simplicity

My review of this film should end with those two words. However, the 10 line minimum requirement that IMDb requires of all reviews belies the differences between my world and the world shown to me in Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring. I understand why IMDb does not want 1000's of (apparently) useless two-word reviews in their database. However, I would hope that they could make an exception for this film.

Perfect: The film is as close to perfect as a film could get. No shot is presented to us, nor a line of dialog uttered that does not make us ponder and understand at the same time. The film is also beautiful. (Like the previous reviewer, I am a fan of Asian cinema and never tire of the stunning ability of Asian directors to capture beauty on film.) This film exceeds most other Asian films I have seen in the cinematography regard. However, its beauty is surprisingly deceptive. Like most great films, it surpasses the 'cinematography' level of beauty and delves into the beauty of existence through its story. For example, the Old Monk has a different pet during each 'season' of his life. This is not discussed by the characters nor shoved in our face by the director – as would have been done if Hollywood had done this film. It is merely background we experience and come to understand. Two days after viewing the film, I am still finding new reflections in my mind that encompass the cinematography, the literal story and the underlying context of the film.

Simplicity: This film approaches a level of cinematic Haiku. While I don't recall the entire dialog with any specificity, I am sure you could print the script on one page of paper. The amazing part is that while you are watching the film, you don't notice this. Every shot moves the story along. The simplicity of life as shown by the story is reflected in the simplicity of the film. After the film ended, I had a strong urge to move away from civilization and live – or die – in peace with nature. I enjoy (and have come to be too dependent upon) modern inventions, so I will stay at home. However, this film will remain in my heart. It does exactly what good story-telling is supposed to do: Take us completely out of our world and put us in another. There is no wonder that this film was selected for so many film festivals.