Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring [DVD] [2004]

Sometimes less is more -- and sometimes less is everything. Kim Ki-Duk works magic with only a few props in the ethereal, exquisite "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring," a movie that transcends its own simplicity. Beautiful, well-acted and quietly poetic, this Korean film is a movie to remember.

Somewhere in a secluded spot, surrounded by tall mountains, is a beautiful little lake, and a small Buddhist monastery floats in the middle of it. Two monks live in it -- an elderly man (Oh Young-su), and a very young boy. The boy is full of the usual hijinks and mischief, but the old monk teaches him lessons that shape him as he grows to manhood.

The young boy (Kim Young-min) learns that his childish cruelty has terrible consequences, and that if he kills anything, he will carry that "stone" with him for the rest of his life. Then, as he reaches adolescence, a young girl (Ha Yeo-jin) enters their lives -- and his heart. Filled with lust and love, the boy leaves for the outside world. But the world -- and a murder -- drives him back to where he started, to find death or redemption...

"Spring" is steeped in Buddhist teachings, but in a sense those teachings are truly universal -- all the more obvious because Kim is not a Buddhist, but a Catholic. The love of life, dangers of desire, mistakes and the danger of repeating them, and the cycles of death and birth are at the core of "Spring," and it's impossible not to be touched by those ideas being woven into a simple, straightforward plot.

The seasons parallel that of the younger monk's life, taking him from childhood to old age. It's a simple idea, but a good one. Director Kim Ki-duk (who has a starring role) gives an almost unearthly feel to the beautiful landscape, the dramatic scene on the snowy mountains, and especially to the beautiful little two-person monastery in the middle of a lake. The sight of it is almost unreal.

Oh Young-su does an excellent job with the old monk, who has the wisdom the younger man sorely lacks. His past is a mystery; the problems his disciple encounters make you wonder what caused him to stay in seclusion. Kim himself plays the mature younger man, giving a startlingly nuanced performance as the character tries to atone for his sins, and takes the place where he is most needed.

With a single set and only a few actors, Kim Ki-Duk crafts a meditative masterpiece in "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring." Quiet, heartbreaking, beautiful and deceptively simple, this film is a must-see.

I cannot start commenting on the film without raving about the quality of the photography, it is a master class in framing and composition, how the cameraman achieved such perfection in the exposure of the film I simply look and marvel.

All this beauty is the framing for a story of the utmost simplicity, virtually without dialogue. In a tiny monastery for two in the middle of a small lake, live a Buddhist monk and one pupil, and as the seasons change the pupil and master progress through life.

The sparse dialogue means everything has to be acted out. Yeong-su Oh as the Old Monk is a wonderful mentor especially in the interaction with the boy monk played by Jae-kyeong Seo, who acts so naturally it is almost uncanny. Ki-duk Kim not only directs he also plays the pupil when he becomes an Adult Monk in Winter. The film creates a world in a microcosm in which we make contact with the meaning of life as the seasons change.

This is a film that grows in the mind for days after one has watched it. Ki-duk Kim gave us the dark side of human nature in the “Isle” and now he has followed that with a film of life enhancing simplicity. Truly sublime.

In a floating pavilion in the middle of an isolated lake in modern day Korea lives an old Buddhist monk (Oh Yeong-su) and his young student. In the spring sequence, the novice torments a fish, a frog and a snake by weighing them down with stones. The master responds by tying a large stone to the novice, and instructing him to find the animals and release them, or else "he will carry a stone in his heart for the rest of his life". The novice frees the frog, but the fish and snake have died. In the summer sequence, over 10 years later, a mother and a sick girl (Ha Yeo-jin) come to the pavilion. The novice, now a young man (Kim Young-min), is tormented by lust until finally the girl responds. Afterwards she leaves, followed by the novice. In the autumn sequence, again set about 10 years later, the ex-novice returns to the lake closely followed by two detectives. He has apparently murdered his wife, but before he is arrested, in a scene involving a cat and Buddhist sutras, the master sets the ex-novice on a path of peace and self realisation. In the winter sequence, the ex-novice returns to the frozen lake. He is visited by a mysterious woman with a baby and when she is killed on the lake, the baby remains. In a beautifully shot and scored sequence, the monk pays a final penance for his crimes, carrying an image of the Buddha and pulling a millstone to the top of an adjoining ridge. This recollection of the stone image from the first sequence of the film seeming completes, in winter, the cycle began in spring. But in a final sequence, it is again spring and the ex-novice has now become the master and has the child as a novice, so the cycle continues.

The DVD includes a Korean DTS track, plus Dolby Digital Korean 5.1 & 2.0. This is a film of little dialogue, and no action, the surrounds supporting the score and occasional sounds, such as wind or rain. The music supports the moods of the film beautifully - it is especially slow and haunting in the summer and winter sections, using a combination of choral, orchestral and Asian percussion and wind instruments. In the winter section, which runs for over 19 minutes, there is absolutely no dialogue. The music builds the mood throughout the sequence and finally supports the penance of the monk with a melody evoking longing and loss.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter . . . and Spring is presented in an enhanced widescreen print in a ratio of 1.85:1. This is a very clear and clean print and the colours are spectacular yet totally natural. Remember the lake in "Hero" which was so incredibly blue as to appear surreal (which was the point of course). In Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter . . . and Spring the surreal quality is not created by artificial colour enhancement but by the natural beauty and natural colours of the setting. In this film the lake is not blue but natural shades of green, which reflect the surrounding forests and hills. In winter, when the lake freezes over, it is not a pristine white, but shades of gunmetal grey. The trees through the seasons are also natural - greens in summer, yellows and reds in autumn. These trees which surround the lake are characters in their own right and are often shot in the foreground, framing the pavilion or activity on the lake.

Extra features are variable. The Behind the Scenes is 17 minutes of raw footage with music, but no interviews. The Director Interview is 3 minutes of Kim Ki-duk answering questions on set; it has very poor sound but is subtitled; the Premier Footage (9 minutes) is the premier press conference. There is also a trailer and a synopsis that consists of scrolling text (in Korean with subtitles) that lasts just under 1 minute.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter . . . and Spring is a hauntingly beautiful, spiritually intelligent and very satisfying film. As writer as well as director, not to mention the actor who plays the novice as adult, Kim Ki-duk brings an economy and clear vision to the film. Although Kim Ki-duk is better known for showing the violent and cruel side of Korean life, as in films like Seom, Bad Guy and Samaria, in Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter . . . and Spring he has crafted a film that is thoughtful, quiet, never dull and stunning to look at. A masterpiece.