Watching this film I can understand what Pope Benedict meant when he described Buddhism as spiritual masturbation. The location alone is enough to whip anyone up into a state of metaphysical arousal.Kim Ki-Duk brings over the themes of floating microcosms and violent jealousy from The Isle. In an interview on the DVD he explains that whilst he was over at Sundance festival promoting that film, he suddenly felt the need to step outside and ask himself "what's it all about?". It's a sensation that many who see this film are bound to share.
As the title suggests, the plot is a cycle. In springtime a boy monk resides with an old Master in perfect isolation from the "secular world" in an idyllic floating monastery − purpose-built for the film − and during the seasons in-between we witness through a series of powerful poetic impressions a Buddhist take on the stages of life, which in the hands of this director, are at once serene, dark and funny. I especially enjoyed the first two seasons of this fable.
The original setting was to have been the summit of a mountain, but then Kim Ki-Duk discovered this beautiful reservoir lined with scores of partially sunken three hundred-year-old trees. I do hope they left the monastery there.
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