Yong-Kyun Bae is an art professor at a university in Korea. "Dharma" was virtually a solo effort by him and it took ten years to complete. The movie has little plot to speak of, and consists of a series of images, a slide show of moving images about a man's path to Enlightenment. They are strikingly beautiful and force the viewer to contemplate one's own life and existence. On the surface, all of the images are serene but underneath them lie deep power and a palpable spiritual yearning. As one reviewer aptly put it, "This movie is not about Zen, it is Zen."
Bae has made a second movie which was released in 1997. It is also very contemplative but unfortunately is nearly incomprehensible.
Bae has made a second movie which was released in 1997. It is also very contemplative but unfortunately is nearly incomprehensible.