A Frozen Flower

In addition to horror movies and all kinds of monsters, I really love dramas. True, until recently, I preferred Chinese doramas. But some time ago I discovered South Korean films. Although I was watching Train to Busan and #Alive. I really liked it. South Korean cinema is quite ready to be a Hollywood scale, although sometimes there are some complaints and shortcomings. But Hollywood often makes frankly bad films too.

So. The first South Korean historical film that shocked me is A Frozen Flower (2008) by director Yoo Ha.

The medieval kingdom of Goryeo (one of the historical predecessors of modern Korea), formally independent, in fact depends on the Sino-Mongol Yuan dynasty. In such an unstable situation, the very young King Gongmin (Joo Jin-mo) – a wonderful warrior – selects several dozen boys from whom he grows his personal guard. In parallel, the king marries a princess of the Yuan Dynasty (Song Ji-hyo). Years later, the grown youths make up the royal guard – Konrönwe. One of them, the king’s favorite, Hong Rim (Jo In-sung), is their commander.

Meanwhile, the royal couple still does not have an heir. This gives the Yuan emperor a reason to prepare his henchman, Prince Kyungwon, as the successor to Gongmin, and through him to finally get hold of Goryeo. To avoid such a future for his country, the king turns to the queen and Hon Rim with an unexpected idea.

The story, drama, erotica and action are seamlessly sewn into more than two hours of screen beauty, in which the cruelty of the actions and their dark background affect the viewer even more against the background of the stunning beauty of the palace life. Landscapes and interiors, colors and sounds, costumes of heroes, their play on musical instruments and singing, swords flapping and dancers’ flying sleeves are a concentrate of Goryeo aesthetics, presented with a Hollywood scale.

None of the three main characters are unambiguous. Each is a man of honor and duty, as befits an aristocrat nurtured by the Confucian civilization – and in each these wonderful qualities come into dramatic interaction with passions and affections. Moreover, in the case of the queen, two components of her duty come into conflict: as a wife, she must both give birth to an heir and remain faithful, but in their marriage with the king, one excludes the other.

And is a happy end possible from the collisions of the mighty of this world, in their brilliant and bloody world, wherefrom feast to the massacre is one step, and loyalty and betrayal are almost the same things?

And what about the Frozen Flower? – it’s a folk song that formed the basis of the plot and, in turn, is based on historical events. It is performed by the king himself, accompanied by an orchestra at a festive feast. “The Frozen flowers” can be likened to the hearts of the protagonists, and the world itself, in which rulers like celestials and their entourage live. This world is beautiful if you look at it from the side, but the frozen flower should not melt.

Some facts:

1. ” A Frozen Flower” is a Korean folk song that speaks of the love of the guard Hong Rim, and the second wife of King Gongmin (the penultimate king of the Goryeo era).

2. In the annals, Gongmin is mentioned as a lecherous and pedophile, even the names of his young lovers have been preserved, and that the guard detachment was a pretext.

3. It is believed that he was killed by one of his concubines because he was found dead after visiting her.

Some films make the viewer pause. Not for long. We leave the cinema and after a couple of days we forget about the experience. It is erased by the dullness of days. But there are films that you don’t want to disassemble anatomically. I don’t want to analyze the actions and decisions of the characters, consider them, condemn, or discuss.

We are shown a fragment of someone else’s life, they allow us to see someone else’s tragedy. And at this moment we understand that we have no right to judge them. We can only sympathize with their pain. To be with them for the allotted time and just keep on one of the shelves of our memories. And of course, enjoy the beautiful picture and the acting.