Samsara (2020)

Samsara 2020 / 구르는 수레바퀴 2020 / gureuneun surebakwi

Do Beop is an old monk who is respected by the religious body and has several successors. Hye Jin, the first in line, is the chief monk of the biggest temple in Seoul. He was abandoned by his parents when he was young and raised by Do Beop. Rather than following the Buddhism concepts, he wants to be recognized as the first successor, and considers Do Beop as his father, but the dual agony of life and connections bothers him. One day, the monks gather in the mountain hermitage when they hear that the monk is in critical condition. The reason why they visit the old monk, is not to check on his well-being, but because they have a clear purpose that would benefit them. However, what they face is not the great monk who had lead them with dignity in the past, but an elderly man who is sick with dementia and paralysis. Mankind, Buddhism, indiscrimination, truth, life and death are all lost to them, and the monks argue with each other over the responsibility for the nursing of Do Beop and the wealth of the temple. Meanwhile, Hye Jin faces his own image in the past, which has been bothering him and looks back on the process of becoming who he is now. (Source: HanCinema)