Kim Hae Sook is spectacular as the ML's mother in this deeply moving film. Son Ho Jun is just as good as the "diamond" his mother always knew him to be.
The Koreans almost always get this type of story right, and they did so again here. They seem to have a direct channel to the center of my heart.
This movie has a very good storyline…The romance plot was good and I liked their chemistry ..If only they cut…
The sex was totally necessary to the story, and much of it was as beautiful and moving as many of the film's other scenes. MDL is a roiling nest of prudes.
Shin Ha Kyun moves higher up my list of best mainstream feature film actors with every additional movie of his I see. He absolutely owns this flick. There is nothing and no one the man cannot do or portray.
Kang Han Na is excellent as the wronged, lowly, peasant girl bent on revenge.
Every actor in this flick does a spectacular job. I was hooked from beginning to end. Haven't cried this hard at the end of a straight romance in a very long time.
Ignore the Puritans in comments pretending this is nothing but sex. Total BS. Yes, there is sex but it is NOT at all overwhelming in frequency or explicitness. There are simply a LOT of prudish MDLers with hangups about sex as a part of life, who clutch their pearls with desperate, pretended astonishment that men and women, women and women, and men and men, have, you know, sex.
I do believe it a mistake to give this film the English title "Empire of Lust," which sounds vaguely like a soft-core porn film. It is NOT that. It is a historical, romantic epic with lots of palace intrigue and stunning battle scenes, and excellent chemistry between the romantic leads.
It's an oldie but very good. Joo Jin Mo, who I discovered first in "A Frozen Flower," is sensational in it. It's…
God, A Frozen Flower is epic. One of the first gay-themed, Asian films I watched about three years ago, after stumbling across the Asian cinema universe. I was practically blown out of my living room chair as I watched it on my laptop. Gasping, sobbing, the whole bit. Wow, what a film.
oo hvnt hrd of sad temptation b4- might prioritise for later
It's an oldie but very good. Joo Jin Mo, who I discovered first in "A Frozen Flower," is sensational in it. It's very daring for its time and helped set the stage for future gay films.
What Maggi said! Along with a few thoughts of my own under the spoiler tag below:
Anyone showing skin in a well-produced tv or film production is wearing makeup on that skin. If you disagree, I don't care. Unless you have met Kiyoi/actor in person and fondled his abs how do you know whether or not they "need" makeup in a scene? If they were shown in a scene, they got makeup, or should have gotten makeup.
Excruciatingly boring and cringe. Plot consists of BL tropes, one after the other. Grandma still has seagull shit on her head. Schoolboy couple is dull and unconvincing. Too bad, the other two leads are cute and seem to be capable actors. But when you have a lousy script to work with...
What Maggi said! Along with a few thoughts of my own under the spoiler tag below:
I am not "arguing," Mom, Our definitions of "bodybuilder" differs. Deal with it.
I never said Yusei was "always skinny," did I? No, no I did not. I already searched him and saw his abs. You clearly know nothing about makeup for film and television. ALL skin exposed to the camera needs to be made up, even if it's only a base coat of powder or foundation to prevent glare off the skin. Doesn't matter if it's a face, a tummy or a butt. It gets makeup. Nude scenes? Yes, those naked people are covered in makeup.
What Maggi said! Along with a few thoughts of my own under the spoiler tag below:
He is the skinniest "bodybuilder" I have ever seen. The title he almost won is a "BestBodySuperModel" competition so perhaps its standards are different than that of your usual bodybuilding contest, in which the men are HUGE and look like all they eat is steroids.Yagi Yusei definitely has a body built for the fashion runway.
Either way, I have no doubt body makeup was used for his shirtless and open-shirted scenes. Any skin exposed to the camera needs proper attention with makeup or it will be washed out by the light. I've only looked at the camera-shoot scene once but it seemed when his shirt blew open the coloring looked odd. So maybe they didn't do a good job. Or maybe it's just me.
What Maggi said! Along with a few thoughts of my own under the spoiler tag below:
Caveats: I didn't mind the "side-plot" of the actress and the idol because to me, their characters were playing out a situation Kiyoi and Hira could easily find themselves in in the future, if Kiyoi becomes a star. Moreover, their situation, should it happen, would be far MORE intense than that of the actress/idol because of the GAY factor. Imagine big movie star Kiyoi being photographed sneaking out of a hotel with a "gasp!" MAN! So to me, the "side-story" wasn't really a side-story at all. It was a vision of a possible future challenge to Kiyoi and Hira's love and relationship.
Also, I perceived progress in Hira's growth. Yes, he is an obsessive, fixated, Asperger's Kiyoi fanboy first and foremost. I worry that Hira doesn't see himself as even EXISTING other than as Kiyoi's dutiful worshiper. And from Kiyoi's perspective, does one REALLY want a significant other who has no concept of self, other than through you? How interesting can a partner stay over time if all you see in their eyes is YOU reflected back at YOU?
So, I believe that in this film, which had a few lame bits, but which overall kept me hooked, we saw Hira changing and growing. He picked up the camera and took the pictures he claimed he couldn't take. And I believe his pictures of Kiyoi are a steppingstone to taking pictures of OTHER parts of the world Hira is interested in, even if he doesn't know it yet. He WILL put out a photo book and have an exhibition, even if all the photos are of Kiyoi in his first show. And I've no doubt he will win the award!
Do you see how Hira sees himself as the follower, but is in fact often the leader? Who initiates kisses and romantic sex? Who is the aggressor, always? That scene in the bathtub was beautiful and extremely hot. Kiyoi's sexual desire and need to be dominated was so perfectly reflected in the mirror and played by the actor. Who is the physically dominant protector and defender, willing to die for his partner? Who took the hand of the other, after that beautiful WEDDING scene in the classroom at the end, and pulled his partner along BEHIND him as they ran, determining the direction and speed every step of the way? The answer to all these questions and others like them is HIRA.
I feel like Hira made progress, in "Eternal," toward finding himself as an independent soul, which he already is. In that gorgeous, near-final scene, we also heard Hira agree, more than once, to stay BESIDE, not behind, Kiyoi forever.
I also believe this relationship has at least two or three possible sequels or series in it. Hira has to become an accomplished, recognized photographer. How will his newfound sense of independent existence change their relationship? Kiyoi will become a famous actor/idol, hounded by the press. What will that lead to and how will the two of them handle it? Will Kiyoi's agency insist on presenting him as straight and single when he is neither? How will Kiyoi react to that? Is he willing to give up his career to be openly with Hira? Or will the public accept the first openly gay idol/actor in a relationship with a man? Rich stuff here for more installments.
Interestingly, I saw the boys' faces as yes, more angular but also more filled-out, their bodies a little meatier. I noticed in the very first scene, under all that polyester chiffon, that Kiyoi has put on a few pounds, and it looks sensational on him. When he was open-shirted in the last photo-shoot with Hira, did you catch those slightly defined pecs and abs? Now, I suspect the makeup people helped those muscles find a little MORE definition than is actually there, but in the first two seasons there were no pecs or abs to define. Don't know about Hira, because even in the tub scene we saw nothing below his armpit level. But yes, both now look like MEN, not boys, though I'd STILL like to buy Kiyoi a few cheeseburgers and fries.
The Ongoing Saga of a Beautiful King and His Obsessive, Aspergers Servant! ____________________________________________________________________________________You…
What Maggi said! Along with a few thoughts of my own under the spoiler tag below:
He's not straight. He says he doesn't care about gender.
Oh Namily...you're just like Family these days. 😁😁😁
Really, I had no idea there are bisexual people in the world. Silly me.
My point is, I don't believe Kazuma is one of those bisexual people. I see him as going through a stage in coming to terms with being gay that many, many of us gay men go through. Raised to believe being gay is the worst thing ever, we often begin our march out of the closet with a tentative tiptoe, testing the waters so to speak, seeing if the world will come to an end if we admit to being Bisexual as a first step.
"Oh, well, yeah, I'm hot for men now but I am still strongly attracted to women" is a lie millions of us have told ourselves and others along the way to freedom. Then, once we realize the universe has not imploded at that admission, we finally get to a point where we step ALL the way out into the sunshine and say "oh, alright, dammit, I'm f**king gay and hot for c**k and guy ass. There, I said it."
To me, that is where Kazuma is. Saying "I don't care about gender" is one of his tiptoe steps to "I am romantically attracted only to men." There is absolutely NOTHING in this series, other than his declaration of gender-free romantic inclinations, to indicate Kazuma is into women, emotionally or sexually. So I perceive him to be gay but with one foot still in the closet. I also perceive him to be a terrible actor, but that's another issue.
You are, of course, free to perceive whatever you see fit.
Multiple, fascinating possible story lines here, but they're all mushed up in and around and over each other until none of it makes sense. Any movie requiring this much exposition while people stand around pointing guns at each other but yakking instead of shooting, is a dud. Too bad for all of the above, because there are good actors and lots of good acting here; it's just that the story they're acting out is ridiculous. Part of my inability to completely immerse myself in a plot like this, even if it DID makes sense, may be due to my Western-ness: This idea that children or relatives of someone who has done a terrible thing are somehow responsible for it or irrevocably tainted by it, which crops up in a lot of Asian cinema, is absurd to me.
The two actresses playing Jung Hyun as child and young adult, are exquisitely talented and beautiful; their true resemblance to each other gave the film a lot of extra angst.
Even more beautiful is the talented Son Ho Jun, who my favorite nose of all my favorite Korean actors.
The movie was almost made entirely worth the watch despite all the above, by the extraordinarily powerful and well-acted scene of forgiveness and kindness by the bereaved parents to the devastated fiance.
The reference to Africa is disparaging and so ignorant. How is it a country (SK) doesn't think Africa is a nation/continent…
Ummm...how many characters in this film refer to Africa as a "country" and believe it not to be a continent with many countries inside it? I'm guessing no more than THREE. But this one reference inspires you to climb the self-righteous tree and pronounce your moral superiority and grand knowledge of politics and geography. Are you desperate for such opportunities?
Very good. Well-acted, directed, and produced. I almost laughed at the electric candles that lit-up sequentially like an airport runway as the bride and groom came down the aisle. I wonder why the hearing-disabled guy doesn't wear a hearing aid? He already has a small amount of hearing capability; it seems an aid would help a lot. I recently saw Son Kuk Yu in the second season of the Netflix short series "D.P." He has matured and changed a lot since this film was shot. Even more handsome now.
It frustrated me here that the ML waited so long to "say" what he finally did at the wedding. Once things have gone that far, why say anything at all?
This should've expanded this to a series with the same actors. I love this kind of unrequited love stories.
I like them too...but sometimes think it's as a result of having masochistic personality disorder. lol It is interesting that many of us find it somehow pleasurable to watch films that cause us pain, though this is hardly a new phenomenon.
I try to mix in a few happy endings to keep me totally going over to the dark side.
1 
1 
Son Ho Jun is just as good as the "diamond" his mother always knew him to be.
The Koreans almost always get this type of story right, and they did so again here. They seem to have a direct channel to the center of my heart.
Highly recommended.
9/10
Shin Ha Kyun moves higher up my list of best mainstream feature film actors with every additional movie of his I see. He absolutely owns this flick. There is nothing and no one the man cannot do or portray.
Kang Han Na is excellent as the wronged, lowly, peasant girl bent on revenge.
Every actor in this flick does a spectacular job. I was hooked from beginning to end. Haven't cried this hard at the end of a straight romance in a very long time.
Ignore the Puritans in comments pretending this is nothing but sex. Total BS. Yes, there is sex but it is NOT at all overwhelming in frequency or explicitness. There are simply a LOT of prudish MDLers with hangups about sex as a part of life, who clutch their pearls with desperate, pretended astonishment that men and women, women and women, and men and men, have, you know, sex.
I do believe it a mistake to give this film the English title "Empire of Lust," which sounds vaguely like a soft-core porn film. It is NOT that. It is a historical, romantic epic with lots of palace intrigue and stunning battle scenes, and excellent chemistry between the romantic leads.
BRAVO!
9.5/10
Unless you have met Kiyoi/actor in person and fondled his abs how do you know whether or not they "need" makeup in a scene? If they were shown in a scene, they got makeup, or should have gotten makeup.
But anyway, whatever you say.
Plot consists of BL tropes, one after the other.
Grandma still has seagull shit on her head.
Schoolboy couple is dull and unconvincing.
Too bad, the other two leads are cute and seem to be capable actors. But when you have a lousy script to work with...
I never said Yusei was "always skinny," did I? No, no I did not.
I already searched him and saw his abs.
You clearly know nothing about makeup for film and television. ALL skin exposed to the camera needs to be made up, even if it's only a base coat of powder or foundation to prevent glare off the skin. Doesn't matter if it's a face, a tummy or a butt. It gets makeup. Nude scenes? Yes, those naked people are covered in makeup.
Either way, I have no doubt body makeup was used for his shirtless and open-shirted scenes. Any skin exposed to the camera needs proper attention with makeup or it will be washed out by the light. I've only looked at the camera-shoot scene once but it seemed when his shirt blew open the coloring looked odd. So maybe they didn't do a good job. Or maybe it's just me.
Also, I perceived progress in Hira's growth. Yes, he is an obsessive, fixated, Asperger's Kiyoi fanboy first and foremost. I worry that Hira doesn't see himself as even EXISTING other than as Kiyoi's dutiful worshiper. And from Kiyoi's perspective, does one REALLY want a significant other who has no concept of self, other than through you? How interesting can a partner stay over time if all you see in their eyes is YOU reflected back at YOU?
So, I believe that in this film, which had a few lame bits, but which overall kept me hooked, we saw Hira changing and growing. He picked up the camera and took the pictures he claimed he couldn't take. And I believe his pictures of Kiyoi are a steppingstone to taking pictures of OTHER parts of the world Hira is interested in, even if he doesn't know it yet. He WILL put out a photo book and have an exhibition, even if all the photos are of Kiyoi in his first show. And I've no doubt he will win the award!
Do you see how Hira sees himself as the follower, but is in fact often the leader? Who initiates kisses and romantic sex? Who is the aggressor, always? That scene in the bathtub was beautiful and extremely hot. Kiyoi's sexual desire and need to be dominated was so perfectly reflected in the mirror and played by the actor. Who is the physically dominant protector and defender, willing to die for his partner? Who took the hand of the other, after that beautiful WEDDING scene in the classroom at the end, and pulled his partner along BEHIND him as they ran, determining the direction and speed every step of the way? The answer to all these questions and others like them is HIRA.
I feel like Hira made progress, in "Eternal," toward finding himself as an independent soul, which he already is. In that gorgeous, near-final scene, we also heard Hira agree, more than once, to stay BESIDE, not behind, Kiyoi forever.
I also believe this relationship has at least two or three possible sequels or series in it. Hira has to become an accomplished, recognized photographer. How will his newfound sense of independent existence change their relationship? Kiyoi will become a famous actor/idol, hounded by the press. What will that lead to and how will the two of them handle it? Will Kiyoi's agency insist on presenting him as straight and single when he is neither? How will Kiyoi react to that? Is he willing to give up his career to be openly with Hira? Or will the public accept the first openly gay idol/actor in a relationship with a man? Rich stuff here for more installments.
Interestingly, I saw the boys' faces as yes, more angular but also more filled-out, their bodies a little meatier. I noticed in the very first scene, under all that polyester chiffon, that Kiyoi has put on a few pounds, and it looks sensational on him. When he was open-shirted in the last photo-shoot with Hira, did you catch those slightly defined pecs and abs? Now, I suspect the makeup people helped those muscles find a little MORE definition than is actually there, but in the first two seasons there were no pecs or abs to define. Don't know about Hira, because even in the tub scene we saw nothing below his armpit level. But yes, both now look like MEN, not boys, though I'd STILL like to buy Kiyoi a few cheeseburgers and fries.
Rating: 8/10
Really, I had no idea there are bisexual people in the world. Silly me.
My point is, I don't believe Kazuma is one of those bisexual people. I see him as going through a stage in coming to terms with being gay that many, many of us gay men go through. Raised to believe being gay is the worst thing ever, we often begin our march out of the closet with a tentative tiptoe, testing the waters so to speak, seeing if the world will come to an end if we admit to being Bisexual as a first step.
"Oh, well, yeah, I'm hot for men now but I am still strongly attracted to women" is a lie millions of us have told ourselves and others along the way to freedom. Then, once we realize the universe has not imploded at that admission, we finally get to a point where we step ALL the way out into the sunshine and say "oh, alright, dammit, I'm f**king gay and hot for c**k and guy ass. There, I said it."
To me, that is where Kazuma is. Saying "I don't care about gender" is one of his tiptoe steps to "I am romantically attracted only to men." There is absolutely NOTHING in this series, other than his declaration of gender-free romantic inclinations, to indicate Kazuma is into women, emotionally or sexually. So I perceive him to be gay but with one foot still in the closet. I also perceive him to be a terrible actor, but that's another issue.
You are, of course, free to perceive whatever you see fit.
Any movie requiring this much exposition while people stand around pointing guns at each other but yakking instead of shooting, is a dud.
Too bad for all of the above, because there are good actors and lots of good acting here; it's just that the story they're acting out is ridiculous.
Part of my inability to completely immerse myself in a plot like this, even if it DID makes sense, may be due to my Western-ness: This idea that children or relatives of someone who has done a terrible thing are somehow responsible for it or irrevocably tainted by it, which crops up in a lot of Asian cinema, is absurd to me.
The two actresses playing Jung Hyun as child and young adult, are exquisitely talented and beautiful; their true resemblance to each other gave the film a lot of extra angst.
Even more beautiful is the talented Son Ho Jun, who my favorite nose of all my favorite Korean actors.
The movie was almost made entirely worth the watch despite all the above, by the extraordinarily powerful and well-acted scene of forgiveness and kindness by the bereaved parents to the devastated fiance.
5/10
Well-acted, directed, and produced.
I almost laughed at the electric candles that lit-up sequentially like an airport runway as the bride and groom came down the aisle.
I wonder why the hearing-disabled guy doesn't wear a hearing aid? He already has a small amount of hearing capability; it seems an aid would help a lot.
I recently saw Son Kuk Yu in the second season of the Netflix short series "D.P." He has matured and changed a lot since this film was shot. Even more handsome now.
It frustrated me here that the ML waited so long to "say" what he finally did at the wedding. Once things have gone that far, why say anything at all?
8.5/10
I try to mix in a few happy endings to keep me totally going over to the dark side.