Hu-hwae-ha-ji An-ah / No Regret Produced by Generation Blue Films Written and Directed by LEESONG Hee-il Starring LEE Young-hoon, LEE Han Released on November 16th, 2006

CinaOggi

The award-winning NO REGRET, which has broken box office records for independent films in Korea, is a romance that interweaves the bliss of love with the harsh politics of class distinction. Leaving the country orphanage where he grew up, Sumin (Lee Young-hoon) goes to Seoul to study art design. Supporting himself with odd jobs, he comes to the attention of Jaemin (Lee Han), a man from a rich and conservative background. However, after losing his job at a factory owned by Jaemin’s family, he finds himself working as a prostitute in a gay bar. Initially Sumin resists the advances of Jaemin and views him with contempt. But soon he succumbs to Jaemin’s sincerity, and they experience a brief happiness as passionate lovers. Alas, the relationship falls into heartache and tragedy once Sumin discovers that Jaemin is to be married off, as arranged by his powerful family. Director Leesong Hee-il’s characters, as tangibly vivid as in his short films, are propelled toward an unexpected ending that will be remembered as sorrowful yet surprisingly beautiful. About the Movie Korea’s megahit The King and the Clown, the Japanese indie film La Maison de Himiko, the Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain – queer movies from different countries and with different tones and manners that all became sensations and were loved by the Korean audience. Introduced into a society with little understanding of homosexuality, queer movies have finally carved a niche in the Korean box office. The epic costume piece The King and the Clown generated a “Metrosexual Syndrome” after its huge box office success, and La Maison de Himiko drew the director and actor to Korea for a special visit due to its impressive ticket sales. What’s more important is that the life and love of gay men, portrayed in those films as being no different from that of heterosexuals, opened the minds of the local audience. Despite being made before this popular trend, NO REGRET was the shocker of 2006. It is a story of two men who fall passionately in love with each other, brought candidly to the screen by the director’s understanding of the gay subculture. A realistic depiction of the life of homosexuals in the Seoul metropolitan area was eye-opening for critics and the audience alike. NO REGRET will go down in history books as the first true gay film in Korean cinema. Although its subject matter is certainly unconventional for a Korean film, the story is plotted in a style similar to the “70’s hostess movie” – movies which deal with young women who are full of dreams and come to the big city of Seoul but end up working as prostitutes. In NO REGRET, Sumin, an orphan with nothing to his name, comes to Seoul as full of hope as the heroines did in those movies from the 70s, but ends up earning his livelihood through prostitution. Jaemin, who comes from a conservative and wealthy background, is on the other hand burdened with the responsibility of maintaining the honor of his family name. The movie unfolds as a melodrama in the vein of Douglas Sirk and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, both of whom were masters of the form. Ultimately, NO REGRET is a classic romance interwoven with the realistic depiction of class conflict and contemporary Korean gay life.

Production Notes Leesong Hee-il is a director of independent films who has received both critical and popular acclaim for his shorts (Sugar Hill, Good Romance) as well as omnibus work (Camellia Project - Three Queer Stories at Bogil Island). His screen achievements have set the tone for other well-made independent shorts, and the life and agony of gays he portrayed has aroused wide sympathy wherever his films have shown, from Vancouver to Clermont- Ferrand Film Festivals. His first feature film NO REGRET conveys a universal feeling of love that everyone can easily sympathize with. So the two lead actors, although they are both heterosexual, say they had no big difficulty understanding the situation and feeling empathy for the characters. While The King and the Clown and La Maison de Himiko revealed homosexuality in a roundabout way, NO REGRET expresses the love and agony of gays in a very candid and positive manner. For the shoot, the crew had great difficulty finding the right locations for the film. The biggest concern was the gay host bar. They combed the city for real host bars, but sad to say, no one was willing to lend out their businesses, perhaps due to fears of getting shut down if they were made public. The alternative, then, was to shoot in a gentlemen’s club for women. In the beginning, there were some friction between the production team and the club’s employees because the film crew didn’t know much about the irregular business schedule of the gentlemen’s club. But due to the crews’ devotion, such as cleaning the location after each shoot, the club’s staff soon became supporters as well. For Sumin’s rooftop home, the team initially found a vacant room, but it was rented out just before the shoot. So the crew had to persuade both the landlord and the tenant in every possible way to somehow still use the location. Eventually the tenant agreed to take the trouble of staying at an inn during the shoot, which deeply moved the producers. Since NO REGRET was made for only US$100,000, all the cast and crew basically worked for free in order to realise this film. Everyone put in all they had, even as far as contributing their personal cash to get this film made. The producers set up a collection to raise money in order to rent a wind machine for the final scene in the movie. From movie people to ordinary people, everyone pitched in a little to finally raise enough to finish the last scene.

Cast & Characters
Sumin
Age: 22
Occupation: Ex-factory worker and dishwasher, now top entertainer at a gay ‘host bar’
Background: From an orphanage outside of Seoul
Character: Reserved, thoughtful yet naive. His courageous comes from the fact that he has nothing to lose

LEE Young-hoon, a talented new actor who can transform into any role

LEE Young-hoon’s only film acting experience is from LEESONG Hee-il’s short Good Romance, which brought him attention from film festivals in and outside of Korea. But his passion for acting is extraordinary. “It was not easy to fully understand homosexuality,” LEE Young-hoon says. “But I did whatever I could to be the only one who can truthfully express the character of Sumin.” This bold young actor was cast due to the confidence of director LEESONG Hee-il, who has watched over him for a long time.

Filmography

Good Romance (2001) Short Film

Jaemin
Age: 27
Occupation: Section Chief of a Conglomerate
Background: Only son of the conglomerate’s vice-president.
Character: Tender-hearted due to a sheltered life, but at the same time
realistic enough to understand the demands made of him by others.

LEE Han, a rising star in Korea

As Keum-soon’s husband in the popular TV Series Good Ole Keumsoon (2005), LEE Han left a short but strong impression on the Korean mainstream. NO REGRET is his theatrical debut. He decided to star in it after pondering over many works offered to him in various fields. “The dramatic story strongly appealed to me”, he says, adding that, “Acting in this role was a lot harder than I had expected, but I was eager to touch the hearts of the audience.” The director, LEESONG Hee-il, complimented LEE Han on his acting since LEE was so absorbed in the character. Another who saw the potential in LEE Han was playwright NOH Hee-kyung, who picked out a number of stars with real acting credentials. Through the TV drama Good-bye Solo (2006), critics raved that LEE Han managed to get into the skin of his role – a villain in sorrow – with great sincerity. He’s now even reaching out to the musical stage.