''A Frozen Flower'' () is a 2008 South Korean

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

historical film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

. It is directed by

Yoo Ha Yoo Ha (; or spelled Yu Ha; born February 9, 1963) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter and a contemporary poet. He directed the critically acclaimed films ''Marriage Is a Crazy Thing'' (2002), ''Once Upon a Time in High School'' (2004 ...

and stars

Zo In-sung Zo In-sung (, born July 28, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the Korean television dramas ''Something Happened in Bali'' (2004), '' Spring Day'' (2005), '' That Winter, the Wind Blows'' (2013), and ''I ...

Joo Jin-mo Joo Jin-mo (born Park Jin-tae on 26 September 1974), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films '' Happy End'' (1999) in which he won Grand Bell Awards for Best Supporting Actor, ''200 Pounds Beauty'' (2006), ...

and

Song Ji-hyo Cheon Soo-yeon (born Cheon Seong-im on 15 August 1981), professionally known by her stage name Song Ji-hyo, is a South Korean actress and model. Song is one of the regular cast members of the South Korean variety show '' Running Man'' since 201 ...

. The historical film is set during

Goryeo Dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

and is loosely based on the reign of

Gongmin of Goryeo Gongmin of Goryeo (23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian language, Mongolian name, Bayan Temür., was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of Chungsuk of Goryeo, King Chungsuk. Biography Early ...

(1330–1374), but it does not strictly comply with historical facts. 10 January 2009. The controversial story is about the characters' violation of royal family protocol and their pursuit of love. It was released in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

on 30 December 2008 and was the 6th most attended film of 2008 with 3,772,976 tickets sold.

Plot

The King (

) of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

is married to a

Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

princess (

), but they do not have any children. There is constant pressure on the King both from the Yuan emperor and his own counselors to produce a crown prince and ensure the continuity of the royal dynasty. The King's palace guard is composed of thirty six young soldiers, led by military commander Hong-rim (

), who is also the King's lover. The King finally decides to charge Hong-rim with a strange commission: penetrate the Queen to impregnate her. Hong-rim and the Queen are uncomfortable accepting the royal order, but they finally comply. However, their relationship does not stop at

procreation Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual org ...

, but an intense romance soon blossoms between the two, and in this strong

intimate relationship An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Although an intimate relationship is commonly a sexual relationship, it may also be a non-sexual relationship involving family, friends, or ...

there is no place for the King. The two passionate lovers surpass their "official mission" and continue to meet each other at midnight in the library in secret. The King begins to suspect Hong-rim's infidelity and soon gains evidence through his junior commander. To punish them and to also gauge the depth of Hong-rim's affection for the Queen, the King calls the two together to his chamber. The king tells them that he has decided that the Queen will continue to try and beget an heir, but only with another subordinate. The King remains firm in his decision, despite entreaties from both the Queen and Hong-rim. In despair, the Queen attempts to kill herself by slitting her wrists, but fails. In a last-ditch effort to change the King's mind, Hong-rim asks the Queen to stay away from him, and goes to the King to offer his own life in exchange for forgiveness. The King pardons him, believing Hong-rim's claim that his involvement with the Queen was purely lust. He decides to overlook everything that had happened, and instead orders Hong-rim to go away for a while to clear his mind and settle his emotions. The night before Hong-rim's departure, the Queen's personal maid secretly informs him that the Queen wishes to meet him one last time. She also bears news that the Queen has finally conceived a child. Hong-rim sneaks out from the King's bedside to meet the Queen in the library. They end up having passionate sex in the library, but the King realizes what is happening and catches them

in flagrante delicto ''In flagrante delicto'' (Latin for "in blazing offence") or sometimes simply ''in flagrante'' ("in blazing") is a legal term used to indicate that a criminal has been caught in the act of committing an offence (compare ). The colloquial "caught ...

. When the two lovers attempt to save each other by begging the King to kill them and not the other, the King realizes how strong their

romantic love Romance or romantic love is a feeling of love for, or a Interpersonal attraction, strong attraction towards another person, and the Courtship, courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emot ...

for each other is. In a jealous rage, he has Hong-rim

castrated Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which an individual loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical castration uses pharmaceut ...

and sent to prison. The Queen now realizes that the King will eliminate everyone who knows their secret, so she sends her maid to warn Hong-rim's loyal subordinates, and they manage to free Hong-rim from prison and flee the city with him. Upon learning of the escape, the King demands to know Hong-rim's whereabouts from the Queen, but she refuses to answer. In response, he kills her maid. The King is then informed that the Queen is pregnant, and as the Queen had predicted, he then orders the execution of everyone who knows that he is not the child's father. Only his junior commander, who took over from Hong-rim, is spared. Some time later, and having recovered from his wound, Hong-rim realizes that the Queen is still in the palace and not on the run, as his subordinates were ordered to tell him. Furious, he starts out for the city on horseback, despite their protests, but then he stops in his journey, realizing how futile it would be. However, on returning to the refuge, he finds that his men have been tracked down and captured. At the palace, the King tortures the subordinates to discover the whereabouts of Hong-rim, but they remain silent, so the King has them executed and their heads put up on posts on the palace gates, along with that of the Queen's maid. Her head bears the Queen's necklace, in order to trick Hong-rim into believing the queen is dead and forcing him to return to exact revenge. When Hong-rim returns to the city, he indeed becomes enraged by this sight and determines to kill the King. Disguising himself as a soldier, he enters the palace grounds during the celebrations for the soldier who came back from war and hides out, awaiting his chance to reach the King and kill him. Meanwhile, as the King returns to his private quarters, he encounters the Queen, but he snubs her, and orders his junior commander to escort her back to her room. As the commander is about to leave the Queen's chamber, she warns him that the King will surely have him killed as soon as the baby is born; she then says that if the commander assassinates the King, and her father takes over the throne, she will guarantee that his life will be spared. The junior commander then calls a meeting of his most trusted subordinates and reveals the truth about the King, the Queen and Hong-rim. However, before they can carry out the Queen's plan, Hong-rim goes into action. Ignoring the palace guards, who plead with him to leave before he is captured and killed, he fights his way to the King's quarters, cutting down all who oppose him. Reaching the King's chamber, Hong-rim confronts the King and demands that he fight him. An intense duel ensues, during which Hong-rim slashes through the King's favorite painting, which depicts him and Hong-rim hunting together. As the desperate duel continues, the junior commander and his men arrive (their intentions not entirely clear), but the King orders them not to intervene, and the junior commander holds them back and awaits the outcome of the fight. At the climax of the duel, the King manages to break Hong-rim's sword, and stabs him in the shoulder. While Hong-rim is pinned by his sword, the King asks him a last question: whether or not Hong-rim had ever felt love for him. Hong-rim replies, "No". Hearing this, the King is shocked, giving Hong-rim time to throw himself forward on the blade and kill the King with the remaining half of his own sword. As the King dies, Hong-rim staggers to his feet, pulls the King's sword from his shoulder and charges at the guards, but he is fatally stabbed by the junior commander. Moments later, the Queen arrives at the scene with the guards at her heels, who try to hold her back. Horrified, she tearfully calls out for Hong-rim. As she is taken away by the guards, Hong-rim realizes that the King had not killed her after all. He turns his head from her and dies facing the king, his eyes filled with realization of his test. The junior commander then declares that the King has been killed by an assassin, and he orders his men to quickly remove the bodies, and to tell no one of what has transpired. The final scenes of the film show a flashback to when the King showed young Hong-rim the view of the city and asked if Hong-rim wished to live with him, to which the young Hong-rim replied "Yes." The film ends on a montage of the King and Hong-rim happily hunting together, referring back to a dream the King once had, as depicted in the King's painting.

Cast

Main

as Hong-rim **

Yeo Jin-goo Yeo Jin-goo (, born August 13, 1997) is a South Korean actor. Yeo began his career as a child actor, debuting in the film '' Sad Movie'' (2005). Nicknamed "Nation's Little Brother", he went on to play the younger characters of the lead roles in ...

as young Hong-rim *

as the King **Lee Poong-woon as young the King *

as Queen Han Ik-Bi

Supporting

Shim Ji-ho Shim Ji-ho (born May 2, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He began his entertainment career as a model, then turned to acting. He has starred in television dramas such as ''School 2'' (1999), ''My Lovely Family'' (2004), ''Our Stance on How to Trea ...

as Seung-ki **Baek Seung-ho as young Seung-ki *

Lim Ju-hwan Lim Ju-hwan (; born May 18, 1982) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the television dramas '' Tamra, the Island'' (2009), '' Ugly Alert'' (2013), ''Uncontrollably Fond'' (2016) and ''The Bride of Habaek'' (2017). ...

as Han-baek **

Seo Young-joo Seo Young-joo (born February 16, 1998) is a South Korean actor. He won Best Actor at the Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Alo ...

as young Han-baek *Yeo Wook-hwan as Im-bo *

Song Joong-ki Song Joong-ki (; born September 19, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama ''Sungkyunkwan Scandal'' (2010) and the variety show '' Running Man'' (2010–2011) as one of the original cast members. S ...

as No-tak *Jang Ji-won as Bo-duk *Kim Choon-ki as Eunuch Hwang *Lee Jong-goo as Tae-sa *Kwon Tae-won as Jo Il-moon *Do Yong-koo as Ki Won-hong *Ko In-bum as Yeon Ki-mok *Ham Kun-soo as Yuan Dynasty Four Symbols *

No Min-woo No Min-woo (; born May 29, 1986) is a South Korean actor, musician, singer and songwriter. He is also known under the stage names ICON and MINUE. He debuted as a drummer in TRAX in 2004, and left the band two years later. In 2008, he began act ...

as Min-woo *Do Ye-sung as Choi-Kwan *

Ham Sung-min Ham Sung-min is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Sweet Revenge'', ''Save the Family'', ''Gangnam Beauty'', ''Tunnel'' and '' All of Us Are Dead''. He also appeared in movies such as ''Psychokinesis'', '' The ...

as Seong-min *Park Jong-soo as Eunuch Shin *Son Jong-hak as ''밀사'' *Kang-Poong as ''밀사'' *Jo Yong-hyun as a young eunuch *Kim Pil-joong as a young eunuch *Jung In-hwa as Court Lady Park *Park Jong-bo as Lord Chil-Won *Kim Ki-suk as a young Buddhist monk *Park Min-kyoo as a young Buddhist monk *Kim Ki-bang as a shop owner in Byeollak Province *Lee Se-ryang as a shop owner in Hyangnang *Lee Ye-na as a Royal consort *Hong Ka-yeon as a Royal consort *Min Ji-hyun as a Royal consort *Lee Jung-joo as a Palace maid who dressed like a man *Kim Min-ah as one of Queen Hall's ''Musuri'' *Lee Jin-ah as one of Queen Hall's ''Musuri'' *Kim Hee-seon as one of Yeongsu Hall's maid *Kim Se-hee as one of Yeongsu Hall's maid *Kim Kyung-hee as a Court Lady *Choi Seung-hee as a Court Lady *Choi Seung-il as a Eunuch *Lee Seon-min as a Eunuch *Kang Dong-kyoon as a Eunuch *Jo Jin-woong as Lord Tae Ahn *Im Hyun-sung

Cameo

Production

According to historical records, after the death of his Mongolian-born queen, Noguk,

King Gongmin Gongmin of Goryeo (23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian name, Bayan Temür., was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of King Chungsuk. Biography Early life Goryeo had been a semi-autonomou ...

descended into a life of

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

debauchery, hiring a team of handsome male bodyguards of noble birth to serve in the palace in 1372. When one of the bodyguards made King Gongmin's second wife pregnant, Gongmin tried to kill him to quell the scandal, but was killed by the bodyguard's friends instead. But some historians disagree with this account, insisting that Gongmin was slandered in an attempt to justify the founding of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

, and that the youths were just bodyguards. ''A Frozen Flower'' takes its title from a song of that era which described the sexual relationships between Hong-rim and the Queen. It is the fifth feature film by director

, who wanted to make a change from his previous works by doing a historical film, saying, "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.""Jo In-seong to act out homosexual love in Director Yoo Ha's upcoming historical film"
'' Hancinema''. 6 August 2007; originally published by ''BroAsia''. Retrieved 2008-11-30 He also stated that the film was "a love story between men."Sa Eun-young
"Zo to Appear in Epic Movie"
. ''

The Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the ''Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacturer ...

''. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-30

was on board from the beginning of the project, and turned down other acting roles to make ''A Frozen Flower'' his last work before enlisting for

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

. He chose to appear in the film without knowing the exact details, having faith in the director following their earlier collaboration in 2005 on ''

A Dirty Carnival ''A Dirty Carnival'' (; lit: ''The Mean Street'') is a 2006 South Korean neo-noir action film directed by Yoo Ha. It is Yoo Ha's fourth feature film, his previous work being the 2004 drama ''Once Upon a Time in High School''. The film was released ...

''. Jo began training for the role in August 2007, learning martial arts, fencing, horse riding and

geomungo The geomungo (also spelled ''komungo'' or ''kŏmun'go'') or ''hyeongeum'' (literally "black zither", also spelled ''hyongum'' or ''hyŏn'gŭm'') is a traditional Korean plucked zither with both bridges and frets. ''Geomungo'' is a representative ...

. The casting of

as the king was announced in December 2007. The budget for ''A Frozen Flower'' was $10 million, and the film went into production on 16 April 2008. It was the first film to shoot at the newly built Jeonju Cinema Studio.

Awards and nominations

;

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

* Best Actor -

* Nomination - Most Popular Actress (Film) -

* Nomination - Best Film ;

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

* Best Art Direction - Kim Ki-chul * Best Music - Kim Jun-seok * Nomination - Best Lighting - Yoon Ji-won * Nomination - Best Costume Design - Lee Hye-soon, Jeong Jeong-eun ;

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

* Nomination - Best Cinematography - Choi Hyun-ki * Nomination - Best Art Direction - Kim Ki-chul * Nomination - Best Lighting - Yoon Ji-won * Nomination - Technical Award - Lee Hye-soon, Jeong Jeong-eun (Costume Design) ;2010

Fantasporto Fantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to Fantasy film, fantasy/Science fiction film, science fiction/Horror film, horror-oriented commercial fe ...

* Orient Express Section Special Jury Award -

International

The rights of the film were sold to Japan, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg before it was completed, and also a further seven countries at the

European Film Market The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

."Frozen Flower Sold to 7 Countries at Berlin"
''KBS Global''. 17 February 2009. Retrieved 2011-11-11

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frozen Flower, A 2008 films 2008 drama films South Korean historical romance films South Korean LGBT-related films Films set in the 14th century Films set in the Goryeo Dynasty Films directed by Yoo Ha 2000s Korean-language films South Korean erotic films 2000s erotic films Showbox films Bisexuality-related films 2008 LGBT-related films LGBT-related romantic drama films 2000s historical romance films Male bisexuality in film 2000s South Korean films Films set in Kaesong