Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?
Drama
•
2h 24m
Directed by Yong-Kyun Bae • Drama • With Yvonne Williams, Homer Nish, Tom Reynolds
• 1989 • 137 minutes
The first ever feature-length film from South Korea to gain theatrical distribution in the USA, WHY HAS BODHI-DHARMA LEFT FOR THE EAST? has received acclaim from critics and audiences around the world for decades. A film of remarkable power and beauty, the story follows a trio of monks in a remote mountain monastery as they grapple with the mystery of enlightenment. The oldest among them, a storied Zen master, wishes to make the ceremony of his upcoming death into a lesson for his conflicted apprentice, while the youngest among them attempts to nurse a bird he hit with a stone back to full health. The title of the film is a Zen koan, or a paradox meant to aid meditation, that provokes the question of the distinction between leaving and arriving. Magnificent, quietly powerful and astonishingly rich in formal beauty, this film is not only a cinematic gem, but an evocative meditation on the cyclical nature of existence.
Up Next in Drama
-
L'attesa
Directed by Piero Messina • Drama • With Juliette Binoche, Lou de Laage, Domenico Diele, Antonio Folletto, Corinna Locastro • 2016 • 100 minutes
Stunningly shot and deeply resonant, L’ATTESA heralds the arrival of a talented new voice. With Sicily as his backdrop, Piero Messina (assistant direct...
-
Jupiter's Moon
Directed by Kornél Mundruczó • Drama • 2017 • 129 minutes
The director of the critically acclaimed WHITE GOD employs his uniquely talented eye to create this riveting Palme d’Or nominated supernatural thriller. JUPITER’S MOON is a true spectacle that rivals any Hollywood production to tell a tim...
-
Viva la Liberta
Directed by Roberto Ando • Drama • With Toni Servillo, Valerio Mastandrea • 2017 • 94 minutes
In this elegant and chilling story about world politics, the great Toni Servillo defies expectations playing two roles, imbuing each character with brilliant nuance and astonishing attention to detail. ...