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Mandala (1981)

Director: Im Kwon-Taek

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From Time Out Film Guide

This breakthrough film by South Korea's best known director is a leisurely, chiefly lyrical account of the friendship between two notably different Buddhist monks - Pobun, a somewhat pessimistic young ascetic fleeing the commitment demanded by his girlfriend, and the old Jisan, whose unorthodox preference for alcohol and an active sex life belie an easy-going wisdom repressed by his stricter, seemingly more devout peers. The film also works as an unexpectedly tough appraisal of the tenets and practices of a living philosophy. Woolly mindedness and poetic overkill are, on the whole, avoided, while enlightenment is presented as often resulting from - or leading to - loneliness, masochism and self-denial. A film whose spiritual integrity is reflected in the mantric calm of its measured rhythms and elegant imagery, it's nevertheless rooted in a recognisably modern, material world, so that you don't need a special interest in Buddhism for its quiet virtues to work their spell.

Author: GA 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Im Kwon-Taek

Cast: Chun Moo-Song, Ahn Song-Gi, Pang Hui, Ki Jong-Su

Duration: 112 mins


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