Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) is a meditative drama from Korean director Kim Ki-duk, and you can watch it online on iFILM. On a tiny floating temple in the middle of a mountain lake, an old monk raises a young apprentice. The seasons turn, and an entire human life turns with them.

The story unfolds in five chapters, one per season, with years between each. In spring, the child learns cruelty and its cost. In summer, a young woman arrives at the secluded temple and the calm breaks apart. Autumn brings guilt and blood; winter brings a return and a search for atonement. The camera rarely leaves the lake, letting water, wood, an oarless boat and long silence carry the weight instead of dialogue.

This Korean-German production traveled the festival circuit and became one of Kim Ki-duk's best-known films abroad. It rewards patience: no lessons spelled out, just a Buddhist look at the cycle of desire and suffering, left for you to sit with. Stream Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) online on iFILM.