April 7, 2007
I must watch this again. And again.
Oh Yeong-su,
Ki-duk Kim,
Kim Yeong-min,
Seo Jae-gyeong,
Yeo-jin Ha
... see more 
Korean director Kim Ki-duk's Buddhism-inspired fable takes place on a placid lake nestled among hills on which floats a small, one-room monastery housing two monks, one old and one young. The action t... read more
Directed by: Ki-duk Kim
Release Date: September 19, 2003
Keywords:
kim ki-duk,
summer, fall,,
young monk,
old monk,
Kim Ki Duk,
Old Monk ,
Duk Kim ,
Director Kim Ki
DVD Release Date: September 7, 2004
Stats: 1,666 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (1,666)
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April 15, 2011One I watched in several sittings, which means I probably lost a little of the continuity throughout.
This film could almost qualify as a silent movie, with the focus on the visual impact of the setting, characters actions and the spiritual training and then through the changi... read more -
September 22, 2009It?s not Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, its Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring!
Anyway, this is a beautiful masterpiece, highly recommended! -
July 27, 2009Words describing my experience in watching this film: temporal, peaceful, freeflowing, organized, minimalistic. It moved while staying still. The camerawork was the very picture of Zen. I loved the cyclical nature of everything. However, it was boring.
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June 25, 2008Kim Ki-Duk delivers again a truly beautiful masterpiece. I consider him to be one of the greatest filmmakers ever. Yet another dreamlike, slow paced film that's nothing more than a excellent package. The character development in Kim's movies is his strongest thing. Also the cinem... read more
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February 22, 2008Maddeningly beautiful, almost hypnotic, but I couldn't get over this nagging sensation that it was kind of...self-important. It is hard to portray austerity on film and I'm not entirely sure this movie succeeded, but you cannot deny that it's a stunning meditation on many things.... read more
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May 30, 2007A young boy lives in a small floating temple on a beautiful lake, together with an elderly master who teaches him the ways of the Buddha. Years later the boy, now a young man, experiences his sexual awakening with a girl who has come to the temple to be healed by the master. The ... read more
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November 12, 2006A film with good intentions that courageously attempts to regale with some fantastically profound tale of enlightenment. It does poise some striking ideas and images but ultimately raises more questions than it answers and fails to register on some vital level.
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June 4, 2006A simply gorgeous, stunning piece of cinema. Kim Ki Duk uses his simplistic and very quiet style of film making to lead us through life. This film may seem slow to most, but it is a reflective and very emotional ride.
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December 29, 2011I can't see a single thing about this film that should be improved on or anything. This film has interesting characters, a good story, and great cinematography. The shots of the floating shrine are even more stunning during the night. The film follows the relationship between a y... read more
Critic Reviews
August 7, 2004
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
June 4, 2004
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
This is as close to a Zen experience as the movies offer. Full Review
May 27, 2004
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
A balm for the soul and a reminder that even in the frenetic city, the cosmos has its own steady pendulum. Full Review
May 20, 2004
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The picture's extraordinary beauty is inescapable. Full Review
May 14, 2004
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
As with most collections of short stories, some are more interesting than others. And the pacing is extremely slow -- almost meditative. Full Review
May 7, 2004
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
With its heart-stopping setting, gorgeous images and a lovely little story, it's as fresh as woodland dew.
May 7, 2004
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post
The floating monastery strikes one, at first, as far too empty a stage for a movie of any length, but it becomes, in the end, a meditation on walls, rules and memory, on the keeping out and the keepin...
May 7, 2004
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
By turns humorous and tragic, Kim's film folds Buddhist belief into scenarios that capture the eye while they provoke the mind. Full Review
May 7, 2004
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Beautifully composed as the film is, it borders on preciousness. Full Review
May 6, 2004
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
Proves that the most local story is sometimes the most universal, the simplest tale sometimes the most complex.
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