What a month for queer cinema!

The short but terrific run of gay-friendly movies (Sunshine Cleaning and The Love of Siam) over the past two weeks has culminated in the elegant A Frozen Flower from Korea. This gay historical drama was a smash hit when it was released in its country last December. Despite stiff competition from big-budget Hollywood pic, it stayed at the top of the Korean box-office for a few weeks. Way to go, Korea!

Stylish, crisp and beautifully shot, A Frozen Flower tells a fascinating tale of a king, a queen and a male lover they both share. Actor Ju Jin Mo plays a gay king whose bisexual security chief (Jo In Sung) is his secret lover. Pressured to produce an heir with the queen, the king asks his lover to impregnate the queen in his place. 

Ju is reluctant at first, but carries out the deed out of love and loyalty towards the king. To his surprise, as well as the queen’s, their sex quickly becomes steamy. Lust overcomes them as the two continue the affair. When the king discovers truth, all hell erupts…    

A Frozen Flower is written and directed by one of Korea's best young directors Ha Yu, who describes it as "a love story between men". Certainly, it is the male characters who take centrestage in this love triangle, as Ha tries to keeps a fine balance between the emotional drama and the overt carnality. The result is a film that’s both poetic and erotic, punctuated occasionally by superb and bloody fights. Though A Frozen Flower is slightly more than 2 hours long, it never loses your interest. 

Three years ago, another Korean historical drama about a gay love triangle King and the Clown became a huge box-office hit around the region. But if you ask us, A Frozen Flower is much better-made than the former. A must-see for queer audiences.