TEHRAN – The Cinematheque of the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) will screen the South Korean director Kim Ki-duk’s movie ‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring’ in the Nasseri Hall of the forum on Monday.  

The screening will be followed by a review session by Iranian critic Saman Bayat.

‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring’ is a 2003 South Korean drama film directed by Kim Ki-duk about a Buddhist monastery that floats on a lake in a pristine forest. The story is about the life of a Buddhist monk as he passes through the seasons of his life, from childhood to old age.

The film stars O Yeong-su, Kim Young-min, Seo Jae-kyung and Yeo-jin Ha. The director himself appears as the man in the last stage of life. The film was released in the United States in 2004 by Sony Pictures Classics, in subtitle format.

The film is divided into five segments (the titular seasons), each segment depicting a stage in the life of a novice Buddhist monk and his older teacher. The segments are roughly ten to twenty years apart, and the action of each takes place during the season of its title. The story unfolds rather simply, but the implications of the characters' actions are silently commented upon by the presence of Buddhist symbols and iconography.

The traditional song used near the end of the film, while the adult monk is climbing the mountain, is called "Jeongseon Arirang", sung by Kim Young-im. The film score was composed by Ji Bark.

Photo: A poster for a review session of South Korean director Kim Ki-duk’s movie ‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring’ at the Iranian Artists Forum in Tehran.

ZM/