85
Metascore
29 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittKim's movie conjures a sense of spiritual discipline as suspenseful as it is stunning to watch and exhilarating to contemplate.
- 91Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanThe triumph of ''Spring, Summer'' is that even those of us who don't happen to be Buddhists can catch a glimpse of ourselves in the spinning wheel of hope, destruction, suffering, and bliss.
- 90The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensAn exquisitely simple movie. Mr. Kim manages to isolate something essential about human nature and at the same time, even more astonishingly, to comprehend the scope of human experience.
- 90L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasThe film unfolds at a deliberate pace, with a soundtrack occupied less by dialogue than by the sounds of water flowing and crickets chirping. And if you listen carefully enough, you might just hear the sound of one hand clapping.
- 90Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranAs meditative and beautiful as its title would indicate. What is a surprise is the extent to which it manages to be involving if you can put yourself on its wavelength.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttKim Ki-duk keeps dialogue to a minimum and actions simple in what is virtually a two-character piece. Humor arrives organically, often resulting in hearty laughs.
- 80VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyA sublime, witty, gritty and transcendental movie reflecting one man's life journey.
- 80Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonFar from a maxim-expounding sermon, the film is a fresh spring of irrational visual pleasure.
- 70The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayIt IS a little obvious, but that's the way it goes with spiritual enlightenment. The film's lessons are plain--spoken aloud, even--and deal with the close relationship between what can be shed in this life and what binds people to the world in spite of their best efforts to purify.
- 70TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxExquisitely crafted drama.