RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring (2004)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
95 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:91

Fresh:86

Rotten:5

Average Rating:8/10

Consensus: A visually stunning and contemplative piece of work.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some strong sexuality

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Apr 2, 2004 Limited

Box Office: $2,105,230

Synopsis: The exquisitely beautiful and very human drama SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER… AND SPRING, starring director KIM Ki-duk, is entirely set on and around a tree-lined lake where a tiny Buddhist... The exquisitely beautiful and very human drama SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER… AND SPRING, starring director KIM Ki-duk, is entirely set on and around a tree-lined lake where a tiny Buddhist monastery floats on a raft amidst a breath-taking landscape. The film is divided into five segments with each season representing a stage in a man's life. Under the vigilant eyes of Old Monk (wonderful veteran theatre actor OH Young-soo), Child Monk learns a hard lesson about the nature of sorrow when some of his childish games turn cruel. In the intensity and lushness of summer, the monk, now a young man, experiences the power of lust, a desire that will ultimately lead him, as an adult, to dark deeds. With winter, strikingly set on the ice and snow-covered lake, the man atones for his past actions, and spring starts the cycle anew… With an extraordinary attention to visual details, such as using a different animal (dog, rooster, cat, snake) as a motif for each section, writer/director/editor KIM Ki-duk has crafted a totally original yet universal story about the human spirit, moving from Innocence, through Love and Evil, to Enlightenment and finally Rebirth. SPRING The wooden doors of a gated threshold open on a small monastery raft that floats upon the tranquil surface of a mountain pond. The hermitage's sole occupants are an Old Monk (OH Young-soo) and his boy protégé Child Monk (KIM Jong-ho). While exploring the world in and around their secluded idyll, Child Monk indulges in the capricious cruelties of boyhood. After tying stones to a fish, a frog, and a snake, Child Monk awakens to find himself fettered by a large stone Old Monk has bound to him. The old man calmly instructs the boy to release the animals, promising him that if any of the creatures die "you'll carry the stone in your heart for the rest of your life.” SUMMER The doors open again on Boy Monk now aged 17 (SEO Jae-kyung) who meets a woman (KIM Jung-young) making a pilgrimage with her spiritually ill daughter (HAYeo-jin). "When she finds peace in her soul," Old Monk reassures the mother, "her body will return to health." The girl awakens desire in Boy Monk and the sensual flirtation between the two of them culminates in passionate lovemaking on pond-side rocks. After a furtive but tender tryst in the abbey's rowboat, the lovers are discovered by Old Monk. The girl, now healed, is sent back to her mother. Forsaking his monastery home, the infatuated Boy Monk follows her. FALL Long absent from the monastery, Young Adult Monk (KIM Young-Min), now a thirty year old fugitive, returns to the abbey raft still consumed by a jealous rage that has compelled him to commit a violent crime. When Young Adult Monk attempts penitence as cruel as his misdeed, Old Monk punishes him. The Old Monk instructs Young Adult Monk to carve Pranjaparpamita (Buddhist) sutras into the hermitage's deck in order to find peace in his heart. Two policemen arrive at the abbey to arrest Young Adult Monk but thanks to Old Monk, they let Young Adult Monk continue carving the sutras. Young Adult Monk collapses from exhaustion and the two policemen finish decorating the sutras before taking Young Adult Monk into custody. Alone again, Old Monk prepares a ritual funereal pyre for himself. WINTER The doors open on the now frozen pond and abandoned monastery. The now mature Adult Monk (played by director KIM Ki-duk) returns to train himself for the penultimate season in his spiritual journey-cycle. A veiled woman arrives bearing an infant that she leaves in Adult Monk's care. In a pilgrimage of contrition, Adult Monk drags a millstone to the summit of a mountain overlooking the pond. As he gazes down on the pond that buoys the monastery and the mountainsides that gently hold the pond like cupped hands, Adult Monk acknowledges the unending cycle of seasons and the accompanying ebb and flow of life's joys and sorrows. ... AND SPRING The doors open once again on a beautiful spring day. Grown from a child to a man and from a novice to a master, Adult Monk has been reborn as teacher for his new protégé. Together, Adult Monk and his young pupil are to start the cycle anew…. DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT "I intended to portray the joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure of our lives through four seasons and through the life of a monk who lives in a temple on Jusan Pond surrounded only by nature." -- KIM Ki-duk [More]

Starring: Kim Ki-Duk, Oh Young-soo, Kim Jong-ho, Seo Jae-kyung

Starring: Kim Ki-Duk, Oh Young-soo, Kim Jong-ho, Seo Jae-kyung, Kim Jung-young, Hayeo-Jin, Kim Young-min

Director: Kim Ki-Duk

Director: Kim Ki-Duk
Screenwriter: Kim Ki-Duk
Producer: Kim Ki-Duk
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 4 of 4

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Sep 7, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

As the Buddhists might say, you have to experience it firsthand; reading about it is not enough

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
04/14/06
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/17/06
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Somber, serene and stirring.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
05/04/05
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

Hay momentos de sobrecogedora belleza (...) cuando logramos meternos dentro de un relato cargado de poesía como éste.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
05/01/05
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring provides an oasis from contemporary rhythms.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
04/14/05
Mark Pfeiffer
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
03/05/05
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic

Spare and contained, with a timeless quality that makes it seem less a product of an individual human imagination than a collective memory...

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/29/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

This is one Eastern film that shows a world view that is very different than the Western view of the universe.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
01/28/05
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Slow, yes, but never boring and frequently moving.

Full Review Source: LYTRules.com | comment Comment
01/16/05
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
LYTRules.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
12/06/04
J. Robert Parks
J. Robert Parks
Looking Closer
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
11/19/04
Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece
Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece
PopMatters

I'm sure over two dozen people have used the word 'meditative' to describe it, but, with its contemplative moments and exquisite use of natural color, the word simply fits.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
10/01/04
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

a mystical primer on Buddhist spirituality, and an immediately absorbing story about lessons that we all must grapple with, regardless of faith and culture

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Alternative | comment Comment
09/30/04
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Los Angeles Alternative

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring may arrive cloaked in Buddhist theory but its premise is more Halloween than hallowed.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Mercury | comment Comment
09/12/04
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
Las Vegas Mercury

Action lurks beneath amazing images, meditative tone.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
09/09/04
Mark Robison
Mark Robison
Reno Gazette-Journal

The Bressonian mixture of intense labor, bodily devotion, and the palpable breath of spirituality across the frames is a peak few films seek to scale, and even fewer attain.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
08/31/04
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

it's a movie rich in Buddhist philosophies, yet full of incidents and observations that are easy to grasp, regardless of your beliefs.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
08/26/04
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…
19% 19% Transformers: Revenge …
55% 55% Orphan
43% 43% The Proposal
26% 26% Land of the Lost

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
98% 98% Up
88% 88% Ballast
67% 67% The Merry Gentleman

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

60+ New Moon pics

60+ New Moon pics

You want Twilight images? We got 'em!

Transylmania

Transylmania

Cheeky trailer for the vampire comedy!

John Cusack

John Cusack

We list his 10 top rated movies!

Salt trailer

Salt trailer

Angelina Jolie! Espionage! Check it out!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Rachel McAdams Rumored for Spider-Man 4 Source: Mania.com
118
  • Danny Elfman Leaves The Wolfman Source: Cinemusic.net
21
  • Oldboy Remake Rumored Dead Source: Latino Review
12
  • Francis Lawrence Directing a Futuristic Sgt. Rock Source: Hollywood Reporter
2
  • Can Avatar Make Money? Source: New York Times
93
  • Robert Pattinson Says Breaking Dawn Could Roll in Fall 2010 Source: Collider.com
28
  • Joe Johnston Talks The Wolfman Source: Ain't It Cool News
8
  • Jason Schwartzman Talks Scott Pilgrim Source: Collider.com
0
  • Weekly Ketchup: Abrams eyes Micronauts, Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
99
  • J.J. Abrams Producing Micronauts Movie? Source: Wall Street Journal
11
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Critics Consensus: A Christmas Carol Dazzles But Disappoints
43
  • Ho-ho-horror! 10 Scary Christmas Movies
36
  • RT on DVD: Up, the Ultimate Watchmen Cut, and More
36
  • Weekly Ketchup: Abrams eyes Micronauts, Aykroyd as Yogi Bear
33
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Christmas Carol Tops, Precious Rocks
32
  • Total Recall: John Cusack's Best Movies
30
  • Friday Harvest: Prince of Persia, The Road, and more!
26
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
14
  • Five Favorite Films with Roland Emmerich
3
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
14
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
15
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
  • Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
40
  • Michael Moore: The RT Interview
139
  • Andrea Arnold talks Fish Tank - RT Interview
4
  • Neill Blomkamp talks District 9 - RT Interview
51
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Worst Movie Biopics
Worst Movie Biopics External Link

Moviefone brings us 9 failed attempts at biographical films.

Top Cameron Crowe Moments
Top Cameron Crowe Moments External Link

TIME reminisces on the 10 most iconic moments from the films of Cameron Crowe.

November Films
November Films External Link

BuzzSugar wants to know which movies coming out this month you're most looking forward to.

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

The AV Club takes a look back at Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.