From its first frame, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring" leaves the viewer breathless with its stunning beauty. This is no small feat in that the entire film takes place in and around a floating house in the middle of a small lake, in South Korea’s Juwangsan National Park. Credit must be given not only to gifted cinematographer BAEK Dong-hyun but also to writer/director KIM Ki-duk, whose fine arts background is evident in every shot of this visually splendid morality play. A formally trained painter, who sold his paintings on the streets on France, KIM Ki-duk’s film truly has the balanced composition of a great work of art.

The film’s narrative is simple and symbolic of the cycles of life—innocence, love, evil, enlightenment and rebirth—an examination of basic Buddhist beliefs, via the changing seasons. The pace is deliberate—almost slow—with the dialogue minimal and the plot structure quite skeletal, divided by each season.

With the opening spring chapter, the story introduces Old Monk, living on the floating Buddhist monastery and caring for Child Monk, a young boy who learns difficult life lessons from his sage master. When the watchful Old Monk sees the child cruelly tying a rock to various creatures, the learned old man attaches a rock to the child and admonishes him to rescue the tortured creatures or carry that sorrowful burden for the rest of his life.

In the summer, the child—now a young man—falls in love with an ailing young woman. Although warned by Old Monk of the dangers of lust, the young man leaves the monastery with the young woman. Fall and winter bring crime and atonement. Adult Monk (played by director/writer KIM Ki-duk) returns to the monastery a changed man to find Old Monk long dead. The cycle of life is completed in the spring with the Adult Monk, now the learned master, teaching another Child Monk the lessons of life.

KIM Ki-du, a prolific filmmaker who has released one film a year since 1996, has created a starkly symbolic statement with "Spring…." With a bare-bones plot and single setting, the film relies on a variety of visuals to portray the life elements under examination. In each season a different animal is center stage¾ dog, rooster, cat, snake and turtle—each creature tied to some aspect of this life cycle drama. There are doors in the tiny monastery but no walls, possibly pointing to the dichotomy of life’s freedoms and responsibilities. This notion is reinforced by the curious, elaborate door, sans any fence, which is the entry to the lake area.

Truly, this rich, well-crafted film deserves several viewings to fully capture the messages it strives to relay. Knowledge of the Buddhist faith would probably add to the experience as well. Yet the universal truths at the center of this gloriously filmed saga ring loud and clear, making "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring" an unforgettable cinematic experience.