Rating: 
Summary: Not an entertainment in a traditional sense.
Review: Those viewers wanting an entertaining evening at the movies may wish to stop reading this review now. Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? is not an entertainment in any traditional sense. The purpose of this film is to help us make connections with the world as it is. As we patiently watch the screen we may be gently or not so gently startled by what we experience. It may be that what we thought we knew we see truly for the first time.
Korean director Bae Yong-Kyun accomplishes this awakening in three ways. First he presents a story of two monks and a young orphan boy. The old Zen master, Hyegok, rescued the boy, Haejin from poverty in the city and brought the boy to a Zen mountain retreat to live. The young novice monk, Kibong, leaves his blind mother in the city to seek enlightenment. Kibong is directed by a Zen priest to go to the mountain retreat to assist the old master, who is dying. The master instructs his student and the young boy with few words, the example of his own life, and an occasional sharp remonstrance.
One important lesson the master teaches is the illusion of self and the interconnectedness of all beings. Suffering arises from the false desires of the self. The novice suffers deeply because he is confused about the right action to take and the purpose of his life. He feels guilt for having left his blind mother. At one point the novice goes down the mountain to buy medicine for the master in the city. He looks in on his mother without announcing himself and then quietly leaves her alone. He has made the decision to care for his master, not his mother.
The orphan has his own story. What little action takes place in this film centers on the activity of the boy. First, he throws a rock and stuns a bird which falls in the water. He quickly retrieves the bird and tries to nurse it back to health. Next, he himself is almost drowned by a group of boys who continue to dunk him under water as a screams in his fear and anguish. Soon after his encounter with the boys, he is standing on a rock face above the water and he is startled by the mate of the bird he wounded. He falls from the rock into the water and almost drowns. At the last moment he relaxes completely and begins to float.
The screech of the bird directs us to the second important element in the film. Sound is carefully used to bring us back to attention from our slumbers. This movie is so quiet and peaceful at times that we may be so relaxed we begin to doze off. The scream of the boy in the water, the screech of the bird, the gong struck by the novice, even the opening frame of the film in which the noise of a train passing alerts us to pay attention to all that will follow.
The peace I mentioned directs us to the final ingredient to be discussed. This film takes place in the beautiful mountains of Korea. Wind and water, fire and air, forests and fields are all lovingly shown and tell their own story of change and interconnectedness. For much of 137 minutes we watch from the mountain top the beauty of the world unfold before us. The master directs the attention of his novice to the breathtaking beauty and reality of what is right there for him to experience.
After my first viewing of Bodhi-Dharma, I waited a couple of days and then picked a quiet time to watch the film again. The elements I have mentioned in this review became more clear with the second viewing. This is one of those films that repay study for those who want to understand director Bae Yong-Kyun's vision. Why has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? is his only film and it was seven years or more in the making. This film justly deserves the praise and attention it has received. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Review by a novice
Review: When I was in Korea about ten years ago, I heard about this movie, but I have not seen this move until DVD is released recently.This movie is not for everyone, because it is hard to understand Zen and other underlying stories (also the cinematography). I am not a Buddhist, but I think I know better than usual Western viewers. Keep in mind that my review is of novice. At first scene, you hear very loud warning sounds from traffic signals and sounds of a train passing by. The sounds from wooden bells carried by Buddhists have been used to open the closed minds of common people (fools) by the strong wave energy penetrating into their inner minds. You later hear sounds of the wooden bell by the monk in the market. Also, you can hear various sounds from metallic bells and others in the movie. The Zen koan is also used to open the closed mind by sudden striking force. You can not easily escape from old habits, stereotypes and various beliefs which you have accumulated and learned after your birth. To cut those connections which are usually obstacles to the Way to enlightenment, you need some sudden and strong force. A sound or koan can be used for this purpose. 'Karma' is a basic principle to make the story in the movie. The boy killed a bird. He later suffered in water. The cow symbolizes a kind of lucky guider when you are struggling to escape from darkness. Due to any kind of guider, you can have a chance to move toward the enlightenment or Nirvana, which is given because you have accomplished somethings or have helped other lives during the past life. The woman wearing black Korean cloth is the boy's mother. She appeared in the dream of the boy when he struggled to escape from a crisis. I could not interpret who is the woman who danced when the old monk (master) was to pass away. There are other 'karma' stories overlapping each other, but I could not interpret all of them. I believe I can understand most of stories, after seeing the movie several times more. What is the answer to the title, "Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?". My primary answer is that he left because he could not stay at the same place any longer.
Rating:
Summary: quietly, one of the great films of our time
Review: Why has bodhi-dharma left for the east{the title is a zen koan] is a simply astonishing movie. The director Bae Yong-kyun spent 7 YEARS filming this movie{the overwrought phrase labor of love is applicable here} the story,unfolding simply tells of a aged,dying Zen monk in the mountains in Korea,trying to pass on his lifetime ot teachings {and enlightenment} to his two younger comapnions:one a boy, the other a young monk in his 20's. the unfolding story, told with elegance and slowly[it is almost 2i/2 hours long] is filled with Zen imagery and metaphor and told in spare dialogue. Wheteher on not one has deep Zen training{And I do not} this is a remarkable film,filled with wonderful camera angels, and quiet,poetic images. One of mu favorite films,hugely recommended ,especially for one willing to try something off the beaten path
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie!
Review: You know I am disappointed the DVD reviews are being posted in the VHS section as well. Were they seperate, I think this movie would get just about 5 stars hands down, each time. Of course it is a movie for those interested in Zen Buddhism, that is somewhat a given. I am sorry to hear that the DVD conversion did not work out well, but I suppose I consider myself lucky enough to have purchased the VHS anyway. The imagery, for one, is so penetrating. I don't really know how to describe it. Impermamance is a recurring theme within this movie. The thing I appreciate about it, is it truly is like "viewing a meditation." The film is very relaxing, allowing the imagery to tell the story mostly. It is Korean subtitled, featuring a master, monk, and an orphaned boy. I wish I could tell you what this movie is about entirely, but I would not be able to do so in a completely accurate way. It's a movie that really does not collect dust on a shelf, because it is so provoking you will watch it over and over again. I know I do.
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