Great to have on in the background. I am a great appreciator when it comes to slow cinema, but it needs to make enough sense for the viewer to have enough interest to continue viewing. There is slow beauty, there is slow provocative, there is slow whimsical, then there is slow simply for the sake of being slow. And when you add a confusing, meandering, and arguably nonexistent plot to the equation, the slowness because a flat rather than an artful asset.
Probably would have given this a 4 right after the film ends, mostly for the cinematography taken in remote nature. Approaching a 7 after a pondering examination of the Wikipedia plot summary, which explains what I struggled through, disoriented at times. The fact that I had to read a separate article to fully appreciate the film brings me to the 6 stars.
Yes, it presents Korean Buddhism in a creative way. Yes, the mise en scéne is lovely. Yes, the koans introduced by the master monk are fodder for deep philosophical ponderings. But. The slow motion scenes clashed with the overall mood, almost like the director was trying to compel the audience to meditate or be in a hallucinatory state while experiencing his work. The very limited dialogue, paired with the unfamiliar occasional music and things like cow crying or birds calling can be further alienating. Some parts made sense, others might be mesmerizing for someone in an altered mind state, whether that be from drugs or religion or both, others were artful, but the entire film has a slowing, maybe soothing effect. Soothing in a good way or soothing in a make you fall asleep way? I would say more often the latter. Unless you are multitasking and have this in the background! Case in point.
Title Meaning: "The question "Why has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East" is echoed by the young boy's question, "Why have we all left the world?" The entire film can be seen as an answer to that question, so that the film could be said to be a koan.
Probably would have given this a 4 right after the film ends, mostly for the cinematography taken in remote nature. Approaching a 7 after a pondering examination of the Wikipedia plot summary, which explains what I struggled through, disoriented at times. The fact that I had to read a separate article to fully appreciate the film brings me to the 6 stars.
Yes, it presents Korean Buddhism in a creative way. Yes, the mise en scéne is lovely. Yes, the koans introduced by the master monk are fodder for deep philosophical ponderings. But. The slow motion scenes clashed with the overall mood, almost like the director was trying to compel the audience to meditate or be in a hallucinatory state while experiencing his work. The very limited dialogue, paired with the unfamiliar occasional music and things like cow crying or birds calling can be further alienating. Some parts made sense, others might be mesmerizing for someone in an altered mind state, whether that be from drugs or religion or both, others were artful, but the entire film has a slowing, maybe soothing effect. Soothing in a good way or soothing in a make you fall asleep way? I would say more often the latter. Unless you are multitasking and have this in the background! Case in point.
Title Meaning: "The question "Why has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East" is echoed by the young boy's question, "Why have we all left the world?" The entire film can be seen as an answer to that question, so that the film could be said to be a koan.