Review: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

Kim Ki-Duk's Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring is a bold, beautiful and breathtaking glimpse at Buddhism. The director delivers stunning visuals full of artistic originality. Lessons learned are slow and patient and done with little or no dialogue.

The setting is a monastery that floats on a lake surrounded by mountains and the events take place over the course of about 50 years. The story is broken into five chapters, one for each season in the title. Not only do the chapters take place during those seasons, but they are also corresponding to times in one man’s life as he grows from small child to an old man. Every chapter starts with a title card of the season. Then ornate doors, which sit on the banks of the lake, open up to reveal a monk's monastery.


It's more a fable than a storyline, because it can applied to how Buddhists would describe the world, and what they would expect of it, what they wish to achieve. The symbolism is very heavy, but does not distract from the movie -- it's the kind of film symbolism that you pick apart after the film that grants greater appreciation and understanding, but does not require comprehension during (else it'd be pretentious).

I've never seen a film be so meditative in tone, so simple, yet still speak so universally. After we finished watching the film, I said to Craig that it was "perfect." After being reminded of the extremely unnecessary kung-fu still shots, I have to change my comment to "almost perfect."