Working miracles with only a single set and a handful of characters, Korean director Kim Ki-Duk creates a wise little gem of a movie. As the title suggests, the action takes place in five distinct episodes, but sometimes many years separate the seasons. The setting is a floating monastery in a pristine mountain lake, where an elderly monk teaches a boy the lessons of life--although when the boy grows to manhood, he inevitably must learn a few hard lessons for himself. By the time the story reaches its final sections, you realize you have witnessed the arc of existence--not one person's life, but everyone's. It's as enchanting as a Buddhist fable, but it's not precious; Kim (maker of the notorious The Isle) consistently surprises you with a sex scene or an explosion of black comedy; he also vividly acts in the Winter segment, when the lake around the monastery eerily freezes. --Robert Horton
Some secrets should never be revealed... When Min-Ah discovers secret shared diary written by two students at the all-girls' school she finds it a compelling read. She becomes obsessed with the page-turning accounts of a secret romance between the two girls but when one of the students is found dead a new terror seeps through the school. Was it suicide or something more sinister? And what is the true meaning of the words written in the diary ""memento mori"" (remember the de
Innocence is a casualty of war. Romances end in blood and the frail hopes of individuals are torn apart in a vile karmic continuity of colonialism civil war and occupation. After surviving Japanese colonization Korea became the first war zone of the Cold War. The legacy of war remains today in this divided country. Three forlorn teenagers Chank-guk Jihum and Eunok are figures in the landscape of this story which highlights the global implications of a very Korean reality.
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy