Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring
A Buddhist master and his pupil move through recurring seasons of innocence, desire, suffering, and spiritual renewal in an isolated floating temple.
Overview
A poignant exploration of life's cycles through the lens of a master and his pupil in a secluded temple.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Glacial
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- serene
- melancholic
- contemplative
- quiet evening
- reflective viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly acclaimed the film's tranquil beauty, perfectly composed images, emotional richness, and profound meditation on nature, karma, and human life.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The five-part progression through spring, summer, fall, winter, and spring mirrors the monk's repeated passage through innocence, desire, suffering, and renewal.
The floating temple, mountain lake, and surrounding Korean wilderness frame nearly every stage of the pupil's development.
The young monk's discovery of sexual desire pulls him away from contemplative life and sets the central cycle of loss and return in motion.
The film communicates spiritual and ethical consequences through exercises, gestures, natural imagery, and sparse dialogue rather than speeches or exposition.
Films like Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, and why
The Sacrifice
shared contemplative pacing, spiritual inquiry, austere natural imagery, and meditations on human impermanence
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
shared slow cinema approach, ritualized composition, Buddhist themes, and emotionally restrained treatment of desire
The Color of Pomegranates
shared austere landscapes, spiritual discipline, cycles of suffering and redemption, and minimal dialogue
Poetry
shared Korean art-house sensibility, moral introspection, and tension between desire and spiritual life
Movie Details
- Director
- Kim Ki-duk
- Release Date
- 2003-09-19
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (1246)
Cast
- Oh Young-soo
- Kim Ki-duk
- Kim Young-min
- Seo Jae-kyeong
- Kim Jong-ho
- Ha Yeo-jin
- Kim Jung-young
- Ji Dae-han
- Choe Min
- Park Ji-a
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring about?
- A Buddhist master and his pupil move through recurring seasons of innocence, desire, suffering, and spiritual renewal in an isolated floating temple.
- What is Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring as glacial, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring as mild.
- What did critics think of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring?
- Critics broadly acclaimed the film's tranquil beauty, perfectly composed images, emotional richness, and profound meditation on nature, karma, and human life.
- Which films are like Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring?
- Films with a similar feel include The Sacrifice, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, The Color of Pomegranates, and Poetry.
- How long is Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring?
- Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring?
- In United States, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
