CineTV Contest: Foreign Cinema - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring - 2003

For this great theme chosen by Hive account@cinetv.curate, for the CineTv Contest I decided to talk about a film I saw several years ago, but which strongly influenced my perception of oriental cinema and also my sensitivity to human feelings. I even think it's time to revisit this film, many films that I'm commenting here are part of my mental archive, the cinematographic memories of a time of discovery and revelation of the world through the screen, nowadays I believe that all these films will have a different (but not minor) effect on me.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring (or in the original name: Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Gyeoul Geurigo Bom) directed by avant-garde Ki-duk Kim (II) in 2003 is a contemplative work that perfectly captures the oriental energy of culture of Zen and Buddhism, but executed in a way that manages to hold the viewer without the need for patience, very important in slow eastern cinema (more common, for example, in Kurosawa), because, even though it is quite subtle and hypnotic, of In a way, Ki-duk Kim managed through this tale, although definitely oriental, to follow an almost inherent pattern of "telling a story" which is the famous "hero's journey" analyzed by Joseph Campbell, as happens in 99% of the films , existing books and theaters, and this is not a kind of criticism, to be able to transcribe the concept of the hero's journey to the seasons, is practically a masterpiece of poetic alchemy.

And the synopsis of the film, to give you a brief idea, is basically the learning story of a young monk who starts his life in isolation, in a lake surrounded by big mountains, an incredibly zen landscape and absurdly beautiful, just like the seasons that go passing by, the film follows the life of the young monk who has as his only company an old monk, who teaches him everything he can about life. But just like the impossibility of predicting the direction that life will take, both the elderly and the young monk are surprised by the experience of passion that will awaken a multitude of emotions in the young apprentice. But the seasons never stop changing, each phase has its aura and its energy, its reality, the film can give a feeling that, as seen in Buddhism, life is about suffering. And observing this wheel of life in which the protagonist is, brings us, together with the stunning photography, an opportunity to experience a kind of "meditation for beginners".

Movie: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring
Year: 2003
Director: Ki-duk Kim II
Genre: Drama
Duration: 103 Mins
Country: South Korea/Germany