King And The Clown
In Korean with English subtitles

When Brokeback Mountain broke box-office records for a gay movie, several critics commented that its massive mainstream success had nothing to do with its curious subject of gay cowboys. Rather, mainstream audiences were simply touched by the tragic story of thwarted love, of unfulfilled romance, something that almost anyone - gay or straight - could identify with.

The same could be said about King And The Clown, a tragic gay love triangle from South Korea that has shocked many by becoming the biggest box-office hit in the country's history. Shot on a relatively low-budget and featuring mostly unknown actors, the film's simple emotional power so moved its audiences that grown heterosexual men were reportedly seen leaving the cinemas with tears in their eyes.

Not surprisingly, King And The Clown was crowned king when the Grand Bell nominations - the Korean equivalent of the Oscars - were recently announced. The film garnered an unprecedented 15 nominations, including those for Best Film, Best Director, Best Script, and nominations for all its three lead actors.

But ignore the fact that it scooped so many nominations. Strip the movie of its critical accolades. And forget its phenomenal box-office takings.

Take King And The Clown on its own terms. And what you have is a film whose gentle heartbreaking beauty will remain long after the statistical superlatives have been duly recorded and forgotten. Brokeback Mountain is essentially a tragedy of two men who cannot be together. In King And The Clown, there are three.

The story is set in 16th century Korea during the Chosun Dynasty. Kam Woo-seong and Lee Jun-gi are clowns who make a decent living out of performing songs, skits and acrobatic acts on the streets. Of the two, straight-acting Kam is accustomed to playing the male roles, while slender and effeminate Lee always takes on the female roles. In fact, Lee's female impersonations are so delicate and convincing that men often take a shine to him.

The street clowns start becoming extremely popular for their naughty parodies of the king and his concubine. When the king's men discover their irreverent act, the two are arrested and condemned to die. Only when the clowns manage to make the king laugh hysterically at their act does the king decide to pardon them and hire them as his court jesters instead.

But troubles brew when the king starts to grow fond of the ladylike Lee. This fuels Kam's jealousy, because the male/female personas of the two clowns extend beyond the stage and into their bedroom...

King And The Clown is a beautifully-written and -directed film. There are so many threads to the film - the lush period detail, the thriving political intrigue, the burgeoning love triangle and the delicate gay issue - yet director Lee Jun-ik expertly weaves them into a seamless tapestry of human drama that is organic and compelling, if a little slow.

Though some viewers, such as I, have found its depiction of homosexuality too coy and discreet for our liking, others have argued that its prudent portrayal of male affections helps audience focus on the men's relationship instead of their sexuality. That prudence may have also helped attract millions of mainstream Korean audiences to see a gay movie. Though the Korean public has hitherto been assumed to be homophobic, the film has been seen by a quarter of the population - a stunning figure by any country's standards.

(C.R.A.Z.Y. , the other gay movie now playing in Singapore, may have also benefited from a similarly restrained portrayal of homosexuality; it was a big box-office hit in its home country of Canada last year.)

No one, however, would argue with the uniform excellence of the cast. Lee's turn as the effeminate cross-dressing clown is so rich and entrancing that it's not surprising he became an overnight pin-up sensation for Korean schoolgirls.

Kam, as a straight-acting clown pining for Lee, manages to illuminate all corners of his sadness and longing. We feel his heart, even though he doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve. But most impressive of all is Jeong Jin-yeong in the role of emotionally unstable king. Violently shifting from hysterical laughter to manic rage to wrenching grief, he manages to engage you, repel you and earn your heartbreak.

Unfolding slowly and unassumingly, King And The Clown is a very genuine and deeply-felt love story that deals with the mysterious ways of the human heart. It may be hard to adapt to its naturalistic pace if you've been spoilt by the current crop of action-packed summer blockbusters, but it's well worth a try.