Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (2004)Rest assured, not only can I still occasionally like a movie, I can even like a quiet Asian one. The highly acclaimed Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring takes place completely in a single, beautiful valley, filled with a lake and a floating room, serving as a monastery. It is an absolutely serene setting, and I was in a meditative (or perhaps just sleep-deprived) mood that fit. However, I would not call this a serene film.
In the initial segment, we see a young boy tie rocks onto various animals, giggling at their struggles. Given the role of animal cruelty in the early childhood stories of a lot of serial killers, I joked that, "oh, this is a serial killer movie." And while clearly it doesn't play as one, in more ways than I expected, it kind of is. It is the most abstract and peaceful version of such a story in existence, because what is a serial killer but the opposite of the Buddhist ideal. A serial killer is all about control and ownership of that around him. Buddhism is about the rejection of such possession and desire.
Indeed, from wikipedia we get this:
The quiet, contemplative film marked a significant change from [the director's] previous works, which were often criticized for excessive violence and misogyny.
The only other film from Kim Ki-duk that I have seen is 3-Iron, which I liked quite a bit and was indeed a bit violent. The idea that this one is a significant change from previous works however is a notion that I seem to be disputing. I can't say exactly, not having seen any of the prior work, but it is a change in tone more than subject.
Anyway, there is so much of interest here and I can't claim that it all meant something to me. The doors without walls for example catch my attention, but I'm not exactly sure what is being said through that. I think the film is a bit of a cypher and can be read in many ways...and I choose this one particular interpretation. Either way, I highly recommend this and having now seen two of Kim Ki-duk's works I am intrigued to visit more of them.
Rating: 4/5