Review: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (*** 1/2)

SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2


Kim Ki-duk's absolutely stunning and unforgettable SPRING, SUMMER, FALL,
WINTER... AND SPRING (BOM YEOREUM GAEUL GYEOUL GEURIGO BOM) was Korea's
entry for this year's Academy Awards. I haven't yet seen this year's winner
(THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS from Canada), but I'd posit that this Korean film
may be better.



Composed as five small morality tales or religious tone poems, the story is
set in its entirety on a remote lake, nestled in a lush green valley. The
dense forests on the surrounding mountains are cooled by sporadic clouds and
mist. In the center of the water is an anchored house boat that has a
single room that is both bedroom and temple for an Old Monk (Oh Young-soo)
and his young charge (Kim Jong Ho), a boy of perhaps four years old who is
training to be a monk like his "Master." If you've ever thought that you
might want to enter a monastery then this is the spot you want to pick.
Rarely has a location appeared so serene.



The five seasons of the movie represent five subjects for meditation and
reflection as well as the passages in the young monk's life -- Seo
Jae-kyeong plays the monk-in-training as an older teen, Kim Young-min as a
young adult and Kim Ki-duk as an adult. In the first episode, the boy
learns the Golden Rule. His teacher prefers a hands-on approach to lessons,
and the movie itself has such little dialog that it's almost a silent
picture. After finding the lad tying a snake, a frog and a fish down with
small stones attached to strings, the older monk ties a large rock to the
boy one night as he sleeps. The youngster quickly learns to treat others as
he wants to be treated himself.



The second part introduces a teenage girl (Ha Yeo-jin) into the mix. She
stays briefly at the monk's shrine, having been brought there by her mother
in order to cure an unknown illness. This part of the story might be titled
"the inevitability of sexual awakening." Suffice it to say that she is
eventually healed in a most pleasurable manner.



The third movement of this cinematic symphony -- all parts are accompanied
by lovely staccato music from a piano or a violin -- could be labeled
"punishment and atonement." The fourth part is about death and rebirth, and
the final brief movement is about life repeating itself. And speaking of
repeating, you'll want to savor this gem again and again with repeated
viewings.



SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING runs a mesmerizing 1:43. The
film is in Korean with English subtitles. It is rated R for "some strong
sexuality" and would be acceptable for teenagers.



The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, April 16, 2004.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.



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