- No Regret (film)
-
No Regret 
Theatrical posterHangul 후회하지 않아 Hanja 後悔하지 않아 RR Huhoehaji Anha MR Huhoehaji Anha Directed by Leesong Hee-il Produced by Kim Jho Kwang-soo Written by Leesong Hee-il Starring Lee Yeong-hoon
Kim Nam-gilMusic by Lee Byung-hoon Cinematography Yun Ji-woon Editing by Leesong Hee-il
Lee Jung-minDistributed by CJ Entertainment Release date(s) 16 November 2006 Running time 114 min. Country South Korea Language Korean Admissions 43,265 No Regret (Hangul: 후회하지 않아; RR: Huhoehaji Anha) is a 2006 South Korean film and the feature film directorial debut of Leesong Hee-il, based on his earlier short Good Romance.[1] No Regret is the first commercially-released South Korean film to feature frontal adult male nudity, and is also regarded as "the first 'real' Korean gay feature",[2] (although earlier South Korean films, such as Road Movie, released in 2002, have dealt with gay relationships), and is also the first South Korean feature to be directed by an openly gay Korean filmmaker.[1]
Contents
Plot
Su-min is an orphan who, having turned 18, is required to leave his orphanage. Unable to pay for university, he heads for Seoul where he works various jobs to pay for computer classes. One of those jobs is driving drunks home from bars. After losing his factory job, Su-min ends up taking a job at a host bar. Initially the boss of this host bar is reluctant to take him on, as he knows from experience that openly gay hosts will often leave when they become romantically involved with one of their clients. Having given up on love, Su-min believes that this won't happen to him, until one day a man from his past enters the host bar. That man, Jae-min, is a former driving client, who has fallen in love with Su-min. Su-min refuses his advances, and accepts him as a client only once, and threatens to kill him if he hires him again. Jae-min is undeterred, and after several weeks go by, Su-min gives in. They are very happy in their relationship until Jae-min's mother discovers them together. She orders Jae-min to marry the woman he's been dating halfheartedly. Su-min is angry. With another man from the host bar, they kidnap Jae-min one night and take him to a shallow grave in the forest. Su-min watches passively as his colleague throws dirt on Jae-min, but eventually moves to stop the plan. His colleague already depressed over a two-timing girlfriend, whacks Su-min with the shovel and leaves the two there in the grave. Su-min awakens the next morning, takes Jae-min out of the grave and back to the car. The cops show up, but inside Su-min and Jae-min silently reconcile.
Cast
- Lee Yeong-hoon ... Su-min
- Kim Nam-gil (as Lee Han) ... Jae-min
- Jo Hyeon-cheol
- Kim Dong-wook
- Jeong Seung-gil
- Lee Seung-won
- Hwang Choon-ha
- Kim Jung-hwa
- Lee Seung-cheol
Release
No Regret was released in South Korea on 16 November 2006, and over the course of its theatrical run received a total of 43,265 admissions,[3] becoming the top grossing independent film at the Korean box office.[4] The film was later screened in the Panorama section of the 57th Berlin Film Festival (8–18 February 2007),[2] and also competed at the 9th Barcelona Asian Film Festival (27 April–6 May 2007).[4]
Critical response
Adam Hartzell of Koreanfilm.org found No Regret to have an "engaging story" and praised the depth given to the characters, saying, "One of the best aspects of this film is how we aren't provided the obligatory caricatures of gay 'types' on prime-time sitcoms in the United States... Refusing to follow the path towards Queer liberation espoused by sitcoms, [No Regret] is freed to provide some refreshingly, rip-roaring hilarious moments."[1] The film "especially drew the attention of young female viewers", some of whom viewed the film over forty times.[5]
Awards
Leesong Hee-il won Best Independent Director for No Regret at the 2006 Director's CUT Awards.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Hartzell, Adam. "No Regrets". Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved on 3 December 2008.
- ^ a b Bertolin, Paolo. "Korean Presence Strong at 57th Berlin Film Festival". HanCinema, 6 February 2007; originally published by The Korea Times. Retrieved on 3 December 2008.
- ^ "Box-Office Admission Results" (2006). Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved on 3 December 2008.
- ^ a b Yi Ch'ang Ho. "Korean Competitors at Barcelona Fest". HanCinema, 19 March 2007; originally published by the Korean Film Council. Retrieved on 3 December 2008.
- ^ Jung, Sun (April 2009). "The Shared Imagination of Bishōnen, Pan-East Asian Soft Masculinity". Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific (Australian National University) (20). http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue20/jung.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ^ "Hong Sang-soo Named Best Director". KBS Global, 22 December 2006. Retrieved on 3 December 2008.
External links
- Official website
- No Regret at the Internet Movie Database
- No Regret at the Korean Movie Database
- No Regret at HanCinema
Cinema of Korea People Topics Cinema of North Korea 
People Actors · Directors · Producers · ScreenwritersTopics FestivalsCinema of South Korea List of films (A–Z)
People Actors (list) · Directors · Producers · Screenwriters · Cinematographers · Editors · Score composers · CriticsTopics Box Office 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 20111948 · 1949
1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959
1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969
1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979
1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989
1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999
2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009
2010 · 2011Categories:- Korean-language films
- 2006 films
- Korean LGBT-related films
- South Korean films
- Directorial debut films
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
