Looking In Moody ëYoung Adamí Is Character Study of Loner Antihero by Ky N. Nguyen With his second feature "Young Adam," Scottish writer-director David Mackenzie demonstrates his versatility by crafting an ambitious, largely internalized movie (a departure from his debut, "The Last Great Wilderness"). He adapts largely forgotten Scottish beat author Alexander Trocciís brooding novel, which was compared to French existentialist Albert Camusís classic "The Stranger." The loner antihero Joe (Ewan McGregor), an aspiring writer, is working on a barge on the waterways of Glasgow. He and his boss Les (Peter Mullan) discover the floating corpse of a young woman. She eerily reminds Joe of his ex-girlfriend Cathie (Emily Mortimer). Although passive, the quietly charismatic and seductive Joe has extreme affairs with Lesís frustrated wife Ella (Tilda Swinton) and others. Bit by bit, the fractured narrative reveals nuggets of critical information. Yet "Young Adam" is less about plot than about characterization and mood. As expected, the top-notch veteran actors turn in simmering performances as the principals. Giles Nuttgens, the director of photography, establishes an appropriately unsettling, noirish atmosphere. Sony Pictures Classics is distributing "Young Adam" uncut with an NC-17 rating. That follows the recent precedent set by Fox Searchlightís release of Bernardo Bertolucciís "The Dreamers"ówhich could be an appropriate title for this film as well. "Young Adam" (English; 93 min.; scope) opens Friday, May 14 at Landmarkís Bethesda Row Cinema. Eternal Four Seasons of Life Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, illustrating the seasons of life, creates the transcendent "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring." A former painter in France, Kim uses few words to tell his parable. His mesmerizing images speak for themselves. A young boy is taken in by an elder monk (Oh Young Soo), who lives alone in a Buddhist monastery floating on a lake. The monk trains the growing boy as his heir apparent. During the boyís adolescence, he has a love affair with a visiting young woman seeking medical treatment. After noting the beauty of their nude bodies amidst the natural environment, the monk warns the teenager that lust begins the slippery slope down the path of desire and possession. Having discovered that a world exists beyond the lake, the boy leaves the monastery. He (played by Kim as an adult) experiences all that the city has to offer, for better or for worse. After many unexpected turns, he finds his way back to his spiritual roots. "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Gyeoul Geurigo Bom)" (Korean with subtitles; 103 min.) opens Fri., May 7 at Cinema Arts, Landmarkís Bethesda Row Cinema and Landmarkís E Street Cinema. It just premiered in Washington at Filmfest DC. Shades of ëCasablancaí in Paris Imagine Paris before the Nazi occupation, immortalized in the romanticized flashbacks of "Casablanca." Thatís the glorious setting of "Bon Voyage," a stylish, action-packed dramatic screwball comedy. Veteran French helmer Jean-Paul Rappeneau ("Cyrano de Bergerac," "The Horseman on the Roof") served as a battlefield general to coordinate the filmís army of cast and crew. The usual suspects include Franceís top movie star Viviane (Isabelle Adjani), her admirer/government official Jean-...tienne (GÈrard Depardieu), and her ex-lover/wannabe writer FrÈdÈric (GrÈgori DerangËre). Escaping imprisonment, FrÈdÈric stumbles upon the fetching Camille (Virginie Ledoyen), a research assistant resembling Ingrid Bergman. The devoted Camille is accompanying Professor Kopolski (Jean-Marc StehlÈ), a Jewish emigre physicist transporting "heavy water" to England before the Nazis get their hand on it. And whoís this journalist (Peter Coyote) with the funny accent? The star-studded cast is having grand fun. Itís a fantastic ride to watch them play out the game. "Bon Voyage" (French with subtitles; 114 min.; scope) is now playing at Cinema Arts, Cineplex Odeon Outer Circle, Cineplex Odeon Shirlington and Landmarkís E Street Cinema. Bright Coming-of-Age Thriller "Iím Not Scared," directed by Gabriele Salvatores ("Mediterraneo"), inventively juxtaposes several genres. The movie develops into a coming-of-age yarn before ominously transitioning into a mystery and thriller. The story is effectively adapted by NiccolÚ Ammaniti and Francesca Marciano from Ammanitiís best-selling novel about a 1978 kidnapping for ransom (one of many that plagued Italy in that decade). Like Japanese auteur Yasujiro Ozu, cinematographer Italo Petriccione keeps the camera low, in line with 10-year-old Micheleís perspective. Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano) plays in the sun-lit fields near his poor southern Italian village. He stumbles upon a covered hole in the ground. Hidden underground is a blind, filthy little person in shackles. Initially, the viewer might imagine some sort of fairy-tale creature, but it turns out to be a boy named Filippo (Mattia Di Pierro), who is Micheleís age. Michele befriends Filippo, gradually learning how he got there and a bit about how life works. Nonprofessionals Cristiano and Di Pierro are entirely natural as the youngsters. Well-known Italian actor Diego Abatantuono plays a menacing stranger from Brazil with whom Michele must share his bedroom. As Micheleís protective mother, Spanish star Aitana Sanchez-Gijon shows a range of emotionsósuch as love, fear and embarrassment. "Iím Not Scared (Io Non ho Paura)" (Italian with subtitles; 108 min.; scope) is now playing locally. Repertory Notes Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-liang, whose films have graced Filmfest DC and local repertory venues, receives a well-deserved retrospective at the Freer Gallery of Art. ((202) 357-2700, www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp) Filmfest DC 2004, the Washington DC International Film Festival, concludes on May 2. This yearís sidebars include Argentine Cinema Now!, Politics and Film, and Global Rhythms. ((202) 628-FILM, www.filmfestdc.org) The Goethe-Forum presents multiple series: History in Film - Film in History on May 3 and 17; EU Enlargement Week (featuring documentaries from many of the 10 new member countries) from May 5 to 12; and Fang Film Fest (a long weekend of vampire movies) from May 20 to 24. ((202) 289-1200 ext. 168, www.goethe.de/uk/was) Beginning May 7, the American Film Institute spotlights extended runs of the original Japanese version of "Godzilla," celebrating the filmís 50th anniversary. On May 7 to 9, the original Russian version of 1967ís "War and Peace" (a whopping total of seven hours) plays in 70 mm. Entries in the DC 48 Hour Film Project also screen May 7 to 9. ((301) 495-6700, www.afi.com/Silver; (202) 785-4600, www.afi.com/onscreen/nft/nft.aspx; www.48hourfilm.com) At the National Gallery of Art, the Milestones in Mexican Cinema series continues. Cineteca del Comune di Bologna and CinÈmathËque FranÁaise deliver Restoration Spotlight: Louise Brooks in Europe, featuring the three silent films that made the American actress an international star. ((202) 842-6799, www.nga.gov/programs/film.htm) On May 5, the Smithsonian Associates offers Before the Talkies: The Lost Art of the Silent Filmóa lecture with clips by historian Max Alvarez, a former Washington Diplomat film reviewer. The screenings of Campania Through the Lensófocusing on the region of Naplesóare introduced by Laura Benedetti, a professor of contemporary Italian culture at Georgetown University. ((202) 357-3030), residentassociates.org/rap/films.asp) The DC Underground Film Festival screens May 21 to 22 at the Carnegie Institute. (www.dcuff.org) The Maryland Film Festival will run May 6 to 9 in Baltimore, featuring diverse fare such as the documentary "Afghanistan Unveiled"óproduced by the first women journalists trained in the country in more than 10 years. ((410) 752-8083), www.mdfilmfest.com) Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.