KMusic would like to introduce its brand new segment “K-MOVIE NIGHT”. In this new segment we will be reviewing Korean movies to help our readers to decide if you would like to give it a shot or not! So let’s start out our new series with a movie titled “A Frozen Flower.”
Before you go any further reading this review, there are spoilers and if you don’t mind reading them than just highlight the article for them to appear.
This review must start with a warning – “A Frozen Flower” is one of the most controversial movies that has ever been released. Maturity is expected from it’s viewers and the ability to distinguish between vulgar and tasteful nudity.
“A Frozen Flower” was released in 2008 and was written and directed by Yoo Ha (“A Dirty Carnival,” “Once Upon a Time in High School”) while Lee Tae Hoon (“The Man From Nowhere,” “I’m Cyborg But That’s OK”) stood behind the production of the movie. The movie sees Joo Jin Mo (“200 Pounds of Beauty,” “A Better Tomorrow”) turning into the king of Goryeo, Song Ji Hyo (“Goong,” “Emergency Couple”) as his wife, and Jo In Sung (“That Winter, the Wind Blows,” “A Dirty Carnival”) as the king’s and queen’s lover. Sounds complicated, doesn’t it?
It all starts with the royal couple who is struggling with the pressure to give birth to a son who could ensure the continuity of the royal dynasty. Hong Rim (Jo In Sung), the military commander and the king’s lover, is given the order from the king himself, to couplate with the queen and produce a child. What at first was an awkwardly received order soon becomes a genuine and passionate romance between the queen and Hong Rim.
Their feeling have the couple continuing to secretly meet up even after fulfilling the order. The fairy tale cannot last forever and the two are caught red handed by the king himself who, overcome with his anger, decides to punish them with what he beleives to be the worst punishment for the two lovers – he castrates Hong Rim and sends him to prison.
The queen asks her maid to help to free Hong Rim from the prison and to run away with him to safety. Once the King realizes that his ex-lover is gone, he demands the queen tell him Hong Rim’s whereabouts but she refuses so the king kills her maid. Soon after the king finds out about the queen’s pregnancy he orders everyone killed who knows that this is not in fact his child.
The king keeps on searching for Hong Rim and in the process kills more people and even tries to fake the queen’s death in order to force him to come back to the city. Aiming for revenge, Hong Rim disguise himself as a returning soldier and enters the king’s chambers and starts a fight in which both of them die. The queen makes it to the king’s chambers in time to see her lover in agony, dying on the floor.
The movie is definitely not an easy one and, as I said before, it requires a maturity from its viewers. Joo Jin Mo, perfect in his role, realistically portrayed the anger and hate the king kept inside. Jo In Sung as Hong Rim did a great job on showing the pain of being torn between two lovers and not being able to stay with the one he loved the most. Song Ji Hyo was also very convincing in showing how emotionally immature and submissive the queen was.
And even though most of the story seems to focus on Hong Rim and the queen fighting for their love, I think it is his relationship with the king that is in the spotlight the whole time. Even during the final battle you can feel the chemistry between them – they love too much, and hate too much and it should not be too surprising how their relationship ends.
“A Frozen Flower” is a beautiful, well-done movie that may leave you speechless for a long time but is definitely worth giving a shot!
Edited by: Angelspatience
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