Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring

Colour, 35 mm
Korea, Germany, 2003, 103 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

Spring - a small Buddhist temple stands in the middle of a mountain lake. An old monk is training a young boy to be his successor. Summer - the now adolescent boy falls in love with a girl seeking spiritual health at the temple. He follows her out in the "real" world. Autumn - now an adult, the former monk-in-training seeks refuge from the police: love has led to crime. Winter - the man returns in order to once again take up his calling. He accepts an orphaned child as his ward. And spring - a monk is training his successor... This lyrical film, depicting the passing seasons of the year and of human life, presents a fascinating change in director Kim Ki-duk´s controversial methods, though without sacrificing his artistic identity or characteristic themes. The filmmaker himself plays the adult monk. The movie took the Audience Award at San Sebastian and the director was awarded the C.I.C.A.E. and Don Quixote Awards at the Locarno IFF.

About the director

Kim Ki-duk (b. 1960, Kyungsang Province) as a young man worked in a factory, was a sailor, and spent five years in the army. He also sold his paintings for two years in Paris. He then began writing screenplays and made a name for himself as a controversial director of films that combined deep melancholy with brutality and erotic extremes. He has become South Korea´s leading director, and his films were profiled at the 37th Karlovy Vary IFF (2002). His work often features outcasts or those hounded by obsessive feelings of guilt. Selected filmography: Crocodile (Ageo, 1996), the drama Wild Animals (Yasaengdongmulbohogu-yeog, 1997), the comedy Birdcage Inn (Parandaemun, 1998), The Isle (Seom, 2000), the political drama Address Unknown (Soochweein boolmyung, 2001), Bad Guy (Na-bbun-nam-ja, 2001), The Coast Guard (Haeansun, 2002), Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Bom, Yeoreum, Gaeul, Gyeoul...Geurigo Bom, 2003), Samaritan Girl (2004). Kim Ki-duk took the Silver Bear for directing Samaritan Girl at this year´s Berlinale.