Although they said it was based on a true story from Goryeo Dynasty Korea (918-1392), viewers should bear in mind that the story is purely fictional. "A Frozen Flower" the film which directed by Yoo Ha (A Dirty Carnival, Once Upon A Time In High School) has also taken its title from a song of that era which described the sexual relationships between men and women. But in a resemblance to Ang Lee’s acclaimed drama, “Brokeback Mountain,” this film is a melodrama that following a secreted homosexual love, which take place between King of Goryeo and his bodyguard. As Yoo Ha explained that the film was "a love story between men," the director wanted to make a change from his previous works by doing a historical film with this fifth feature film of his career, he said, "I always felt uncomfortable with the genre but I felt I should try to overcome those feelings. It is also a new challenge for me to focus on a melodrama". Previously, director Yoo Ha has been widely acclaimed by moviegoers and critics alike for bringing out violence and collectivity from deep within the human soul, as well as for his provocative view on conventional ideas.
When the movie was released on 30th Dec, 2008 in South Korea, it was sold 310,000 tickets in just one day and easily topped the box office chart. "A Frozen Flower" also took in over 1 million admissions in its first four days, setting an all time record for an adult-rated film. It seems Erotic movies, often with scenes of nudity, are now hugely popular in Korea. Ignited by "Lust, Caution", which drew 3 million viewers in 2007, the fervor continued throughout last year with "Portrait of a Beauty" attracting 2.5 million and this "A Frozen Flower" with 4 million viewers. For you who haven't seen how erotic is the film, now it available at YESASIA DVD shelf in its special 2 disc uncut directors edition package.
Although sexuality and nudity are no longer a hush-hush issue in this traditionally Confucian country, the South Korean movie "Ssanghwajeom (A Frozen Flower)" made headlines long before it was released here on Dec. 30 for its blunt depictions of homo- and bi-sexuality. The sex scenes in this historical drama, the fifth film by South Korea's only poet-turned-director Yoo Ha, certainly live up to their reputation. But these scenes are not simply meant to titillate. They are critical in showing how the boy in the palace slowly turns into a man and fights to come to terms with his sexual identity. And growing up is far harsher and more brutal for him, as it is the queen to whom he is inexorably drawn.
"The essence is still all there," the soft-spoken director said in a recent interview with a local movie magazine. "But this movie was a new and a frightening challenge for me because I was to talk about two very difficult things: historical drama and sexuality." The two factors that agonized Yoo so much appear to be mere tools used to complete the director's long-struggling persona. Unlike the two male characters in Yoo's past works, Hong Lim musters up "enough guts" to put up a real fight with the king, who was the creator of his first world, a benevolent father and a protective lover all in one.
BUY THE DVD AT YESASIA
When the movie was released on 30th Dec, 2008 in South Korea, it was sold 310,000 tickets in just one day and easily topped the box office chart. "A Frozen Flower" also took in over 1 million admissions in its first four days, setting an all time record for an adult-rated film. It seems Erotic movies, often with scenes of nudity, are now hugely popular in Korea. Ignited by "Lust, Caution", which drew 3 million viewers in 2007, the fervor continued throughout last year with "Portrait of a Beauty" attracting 2.5 million and this "A Frozen Flower" with 4 million viewers. For you who haven't seen how erotic is the film, now it available at YESASIA DVD shelf in its special 2 disc uncut directors edition package.
Although sexuality and nudity are no longer a hush-hush issue in this traditionally Confucian country, the South Korean movie "Ssanghwajeom (A Frozen Flower)" made headlines long before it was released here on Dec. 30 for its blunt depictions of homo- and bi-sexuality. The sex scenes in this historical drama, the fifth film by South Korea's only poet-turned-director Yoo Ha, certainly live up to their reputation. But these scenes are not simply meant to titillate. They are critical in showing how the boy in the palace slowly turns into a man and fights to come to terms with his sexual identity. And growing up is far harsher and more brutal for him, as it is the queen to whom he is inexorably drawn.
"The essence is still all there," the soft-spoken director said in a recent interview with a local movie magazine. "But this movie was a new and a frightening challenge for me because I was to talk about two very difficult things: historical drama and sexuality." The two factors that agonized Yoo so much appear to be mere tools used to complete the director's long-struggling persona. Unlike the two male characters in Yoo's past works, Hong Lim musters up "enough guts" to put up a real fight with the king, who was the creator of his first world, a benevolent father and a protective lover all in one.
BUY THE DVD AT YESASIA
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