Rent Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Kim Ki-duk
Directed by: Kim Ki-duk
Starring: Kim Ki-duk, Oh Yeong-su, Jong-ho Kim
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In the midst of the Korean wilderness, a Buddhist master patiently raises a boy while teaching wisdom and compassion through experience and endless exercises.
Verdict
It's one of those movies that has remained in my mind; beautiful in content and look. It's contemplative, which is fitting with a movie about monks. We see the seasons as a metaphor for life, but it's more than that. Just as seasons mark the passage of time, the seasons also repeat as we see the teachings, mistakes, and devotion of the monks repeating. Getting old isn't just about age, it's about wisdom. While the young monk's mistakes are extreme, the exaggeration helps to make the point. Mistakes are part of life and learning. We see a young apprentice begin as a boy, growing physically and in experience. I wonder about the monk before him, and the monk after him. This is a cycle of monks that have likely made mistakes as the cycle continues.
Watch It.
Review
A monk (O Yeong-su) and his apprentice (Jong-ho Kim) live in a monastery that floats on a lake in the mountains of Korea. Initially I wasn't sure when this was even set. It could be any time. The movie captures the cycle of life with this peaceful existence. A child grows into an adult, making mistakes. Those mis-steps are how a boy becomes a wise monk. We only see the evolution of one life, but I expect the older monk may have had a similar path. There will be another monk and that monk will likely lead a similar path.
The first segment is spring. The monk teaches his apprentice a lesson. The apprentice is a child, not much more than five years old. The boy ties rocks to several animals, watching them struggle with the weight. The monk watches this silently, and the next day he ties a stone to the boy so he can endure what the animals endured. The child never considered how his selfish entertainment would affect others.
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| Jong-ho Kim, Oh Yeong-su play Child Monk, Old Monk |
In summer the apprentice is now a teen (Kim Young-min). He's longing, or lusting, for companionship. That's when a mother and her sick daughter arrive seeking prayer. As the only two teens, a relationship soon develops between the socially awkward apprentice and the first girls he's ever met. It culminates in the monk finding out about their secret affair. He's not mad and he doesn't condemn them. He merely points out the daughter is well and no longer needs the monastery, but that causes the infatuated teen to run after the girl and leave the monastery.
It's fall and the older monk happens to see a newspaper article that indicates his former apprentice is a criminal. Soon enough, the apprentice returns. We see how the city has changed him. While the apprentice took the Buddha statue when he left, he brings it back. It shows the connection he still has with Buddhism, the respect he maintained. His stay is short, but the older monk never gets upset or reacts emotionally. He merely gives the apprentice a task to aid in finding peace before he's taken away.
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| Seo Jae-kyeong, Kim Ki-duk play Boy Monk, Adult Monk |
In winter the apprentice, now an adult, returns. I can only assume he spent time in prison and is now back to the only home he knows. It's likely the only place he ever felt peace.
This is the cyclical nature of life. It's a journey to find our place in the world, peace, and how to contribute. I wonder about the old monk's story. What did he experience and endure prior to when we first see him? He may have had a similar journey to the younger monk. The obvious motif is the seasons and how it mimics life. Seasons repeat, life repeats, and even mistakes repeat across generations. Seasons progress as we mature, make mistakes, and grow up. This young monk returns and makes a physical sacrifice to mark leaving his past behind. It's spring again, a new beginning. The young monk now has his own apprentice, and it's likely that apprentice will make mistakes. Preventing the mistakes would rob everyone of the lesson. The young monk's mistakes are part of who he is, necessary for him to develop. His story is likely similar to the older monk. He realized mistakes must be made as they're part of the lesson. The young monk's apprentice will grow and learn, likely developing into an older monk that will get yet another apprentice and the cycle will repeat.
While I didn't realize it while watching, after reading more about the movie all of the animals are symbolic which adds depth to this story. In the first spring the dog is a Buddhist symbol of fidelity to one's master. The rooster in summer represents desire and craving. The cat in fall is a symbol of the temporary resting place of the soul of very spiritual people. During winter the snake represents anger. In the second spring the turtle is a symbol of longevity and prognosticating the future.
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