This film offers a very dull chronicle of the biography of a legendary Go player. The main character appears very flat: his life is dedicated entirely to the game of Go and to his religious faith. Since neither of these is presented in any detail, it is hard for a viewer who is not familiar with them beforehand to understand what he's about. His interactions with the film's love interest, whom he ends up marrying, are as flat as the rest of it; reading a note elicits some emotion from him but her presence does not. The film has a very episodic feel, leaping from one scene and context to the next without much continuity. It sometimes feels like the historical /political events of the period command more attention than the protagonist but they are not explained or narrated as they would be in a documentary. The film boasts good photography and a few scenes of interest but I found it consistently vapid on the whole.
