I was not as impressed with this movie as most people here seem to be; I found it slightly dull and not very constructive in its message. Still, it is a beautiful piece of film-making, and it has enough developments to keep your attention despite the simplicity of the setting and the scarcity of characters and dialog.
As a symbolic tale, I didn't think it was simple at all. It was about the attempt - the failed attempt - to attain peace and serenity. It showed that no matter how lofty your ideals and no matter how much you isolate yourself from the world, the human condition remains the same. Life on the remote lake ultimately mimicked all the chaos, anguish and meaningless pain and death of the outside world. The monk's faraway place of worship became a lie; an escape; a retreat from the madness that had infected the monk himself as much as everyone else in modern society. A place for atoning for past sins, rather than living some virtuous pious life. A form of therapy rather than a noble pursuit in its own right. A self-inflicted prison, almost.
So the film-maker did not endorse any kind of romantic view of the monastic life style; he did not say it was an improvement over an ordinary life style. He said that Buddha may soothe, but he can't heal. While I'm not religious, I do believe that high ideals are capable of changing things for the better, so I'm not sure I can agree, on the symbol plane, with the film-maker's message.
7 out of 10.
As a symbolic tale, I didn't think it was simple at all. It was about the attempt - the failed attempt - to attain peace and serenity. It showed that no matter how lofty your ideals and no matter how much you isolate yourself from the world, the human condition remains the same. Life on the remote lake ultimately mimicked all the chaos, anguish and meaningless pain and death of the outside world. The monk's faraway place of worship became a lie; an escape; a retreat from the madness that had infected the monk himself as much as everyone else in modern society. A place for atoning for past sins, rather than living some virtuous pious life. A form of therapy rather than a noble pursuit in its own right. A self-inflicted prison, almost.
So the film-maker did not endorse any kind of romantic view of the monastic life style; he did not say it was an improvement over an ordinary life style. He said that Buddha may soothe, but he can't heal. While I'm not religious, I do believe that high ideals are capable of changing things for the better, so I'm not sure I can agree, on the symbol plane, with the film-maker's message.
7 out of 10.