Set during the Goryeo Dynasty and loosely based on the reign of Gongmin of Goryeo, “Frozen Flower” is a testament to the quality of costume dramas coming out of Korea, both due to the presentation of the era, but also due to the story, which actually involves an erotic triangle among a homosexual king, a bisexual commander and a heterosexual queen.
The King of Goryeo is married to a Yuan Dynasty princess, but they do not have any children, with the pressure from both the Yuan Emperor and the king's council to produce a male heir and ensure the dynasty piling up. At the same time though, the King is retaining an affair with Hong-rim, the commander of his personal guard, a group of men that were handpicked and trained from childhood to fulfill the particular role. As time passes and the strain becomes more and more intense, the King comes up with a daring plan, of having Hong-rim sleep with the Queen in order to impregnate her in secret and present the baby as his own. The two are quite against his decision, but eventually decide to proceed. Despite the initial problems the deed presents, the two soon embark on an intensely erotic trip, which, inetvitably, ends up being much more than their orders. As the king begins to suspect what is going on, he shows his cruel face, and soon a killing spree is initiated, with no one being able to feel safe within the palace walls.
Allow me to start with the most obvious. “Frozen Flower” is a genuine eye-candy, with all aspects of the production being of the highest quality. The costume design by Lee Hye-soon and Jeong Jeong-eun, the art direction by Kim Ki-chul, the hair style, and the locations the film was shot are all astonishing to watch, also due to the impressive cinematography of Choi Hyun-ki, who captures all the aforementioned in the best way possible. The beauty of all the protagonists, the many, lengthy, and quite steamy sex scenes, also including a homosexual one, and the violent/action ones are also impressively shot, and benefitting the most also by both Park Gok-ji's editing and Kim Jun-seok's music. The montage of the performance in the court while the two lovers are having sex inside the library is probably the apogee of the audiovisual aspect here, in an overall extravaganza that is definitely a feast for the eyes, even if some musical performances could have been cut a bit shorter, or being omitted completely.
At the same time, the main story, even if somewhat cliched, is both intriguing in the way it unfolds and filled with sociopolitical and philosophical commentary. The last aspect is actually quite intense here, as the place of women in the then Korean society, the fact that the King was not all-powerful and had to abide to the pressure of his council, the existence of homosexual affairs in the palace, male bonding, and human nature, particularly in the way passion can move beyond logic and revenge beyond love are all excellently portrayed, adding depth to what is essentially a love story.
The acting is also on a very high level. Joo Jin-mo as the King is exceptional in the way he transforms from a kind man to a bloodthirsty revenger. Zo In-sung is equally convincing in the way he portrays his inner struggle about his two lovers, while his downward spiral is one of the best traits of the movie. Song Ji-hyo is also very good, particularly in the way she starts having feelings for her imposed lover, and the way she abandons logic to succumb to love. The chemistry of the three is also excellent, and is actually also eloquently depicted in the erotic scenes.
Some aspects about how the story unfolds are a bit far-fetched, while the melodramatic element could not be missing here also, but as a whole, “Frozen Flower” emerges as an excellent movie, particularly in the way it offers entertainment and visual pleasure in great amounts.
