A Little Monk (2003) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language

2003 · 102 mins · Korean

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Directed by

Joo Kyeong-joong

Starring

Kim Ye-ryeong, Kim Min-kyo, Jeon Moo-song, Kim Jin-tae, Oh Young-soo

Do‑nyum, a nine‑year‑old monk, spends his solitary childhood in a mountain monastery under an elderly master. Strict Buddhist routines make him yearn for the mother he cannot recall and to join nearby village children at play and school. He befriends older monk Jung‑sim, also struggling on the path of enlightenment, while the groundskeeper promises his mother’s return. Fed up, Do‑nyum accepts adoption by the temple’s benefactor, a wealthy widow mourning her late son.