Welcome back to the old good times of 'Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring' and 'Seom'. That's the feeling I got watching 'Shi gan'. After 'Hwal', which was a little disappointing, I really enjoyed Kim's last film. The story is indeed a simple one and, as some indicated, unrealistic. But wait! No one ever said Kim's films have (or have ever been) realistic. It's all about philosophy, psychology and the feelings where the physical surroundings and their reality are not relevant. I have heard talks that Kim Ki-duk is not always appreciated in Korea and I had a chance to ensure this myself with my Korean friends here in the UK who didn't seem too fascinated about the stories we watched in 'Spring, Summer Fall...' and 'Samaria' (I didn't dare to suggest them to watch 'Seom'... perhaps that would have been too much to them). It's in a way a little sad because, in my opinion, Kim Ki-duk is one of the greatest directors alive... and he's at his best with 'Shi gan'.
