Kim Jo Gwang-soo's second queer film Friends » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps

66 June 20, 2009June 4, 2010

Kim Jo Gwang-soo’s second queer film Friends

by javabeans

Lee Je-hoon, Seo Ji-hoo

Director Kim Jo Gwang-soo added an entry to the small-but-growing category of Korean queer cinema with his short film Boy Meets Boy, starring rising pretty-boy actor Kim Hye-sung. He is following that with his second film, Friends? [친구사이?], which isn’t quite feature-length but clocks in as a mid-length film at 50 minutes.

Friends?, like Boy Meets Boy, is based on the director’s own experiences; while Boy depicted two high schoolers meeting in a first-love experience, Friends? is a little more mature and the characters a bit older. It also ups the skinship quotient. (Boy‘s allure was in its lingering looks and silences, while these still shots from Friends? depict the two young actors kissing, and there is reportedly also a bed scene.)

For being such a short film, Boy Meets Boy garnered a fair amount of attention, partly because it was a sweet narrative with nice directing, and partly, I believe, in symbolic support as a queer film. (Personally, I think it was a cute film — yes, singing Cupid notwithstanding — although I found myself wishing it were longer. As it was, it felt like a beautifully shot, atmospheric music video.)

Boy‘s success means that Friends? was able to command more of a budget and shooting schedule than its predecessor (which was shot over a weekend). It recently wrapped filming and now enters post-production.

Director Kim Jo Gwang-soo said that the bed scene contains a very important spoiler, so he kept the set closed to much of the staff while filming. The two actors, Lee Je-hoon and Seo Ji-hoo, also expressed their opinions on shooting the scene in an interview with Movieweek:

Lee Je-hoon: “After it was over, I felt a lot lighter. [Laughs] We shot a lot of takes, and each time I would pour my energy into it, so it was a little difficult to recover to shoot the next scene. To be honest, I had been very anxious about it, but the director and Ji-hoo helped a lot, so it wasn’t as difficult as I expected.”

Seo Ji-hoo: “I was so anxious that I couldn’t sleep the night before. The night before the shoot, I talked a lot with Je-hoon. That helped a lot in trying to get the right emotions.”

Movieweek: Because it’s a queer film, did you hesitate over deciding to appear in it?

Lee Je-hoon: “When the director offered me the part, I watched Boy Meets Boy. After seeing that film, I developed faith in the director. If I hadn’t had that faith, I wouldn’t have chosen this film. I went into it trusting the director fully.”

Kim Jo Gwang-soo (lightly hitting Lee Je-hoon’s shoulder): “Be honest!”

Seo Ji-hoo: “I also watched Boy Meets Boy and thought, ‘If it’s a bright queer movie like this, I want to do it.’ However, since it was my first time acting, I did worry a lot. But it helped a lot to talk things over with the director and Je-hoon. Now I have the confidence that I can do it as well as anyone! [Laughs]”

Kim Jo Gwang-soo (while ruffling Seo Ji-hoo’s hair): “Really? I’m really thankful to these two actors. I also received a lot of help from my actors. This was Ji-hoo’s first acting job and Je-hoon doesn’t have a lot of acting experience, but they worked so hard and did such a good job, that the film was shot well. [Laughs]”

Via Movieweek

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51 CyNurse

June 22, 2009 at 5:03 AM

@Meiko,

Your friend is funny. And oozing with confidence!

@Javabeans,

Lots of your fans think that the movie Friends is promising. And those pics you posted sure made it even more interesting! Thanks to this blog, I am now ready to watch Boy Meets Boy.***grin***

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52 birdscout

June 22, 2009 at 6:00 AM

@41 Javabeans

"Thanks for your concern about my site, but I'll take my chances."

LOL!!! That one statement says so much about you. I'd love to have a "drinking interview" with you (a la Kang Ji-Hwan). You and your site are awesome!

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53 Samsooki

June 22, 2009 at 9:23 AM

@42 langdon813 -

"I just love a good story. I don’t care if it’s boy/girl, girl/girl, or boy/boy. Love is love. If the script is good, the directing is sharp, and there’s mad chemistry between the main characters, what else matters?"

Of course, I agree with this. :)

But, there are secondary considerations to making a drama or a movie like this. The burden of having the story feature non-conventional characters and / or story lines is not something that can be ignored by the production staff or the actors. The burden is extremely heavy, and so many considerations have to be made that would otherwise not be given a second thought. Every single item in every single shot will have to be looked at and examined, to be seen through multiple filters and people have to wonder whether the absence or the existence of everything or anything creates a statement, intentional or not, of anything and everything in support or not in support of something, nothing, everything.

The world is changing, too slow for some, too fast for others. And all the while, people who are gay are forced to live their lives almost as people with multiple personality disorders, having to morph and blend in or not blend in, and every day is can be struggle to exist. The fact that this is an issue at all is a source of sadness for me, and the fact that we have to resort to debate to justify what really amounts to the right to live and to love as he or she pleases, is another source of sadness.

If anything, the importance of this film is in the fact that it is a mile marker on the road towards equality, and this road appears to be a long one and I honestly don't know if we will be around when people will look back and wonder how we were ever so small minded and hateful towards one another.

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54 D

June 22, 2009 at 12:06 PM

tehehehehehe I just can't stop giggling. Can't wait for this drama. XD

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55 MEIKO**** ^-^

June 22, 2009 at 12:50 PM

@52 CYNURSE

LOL! Yeah, he's funny alright... when he is not stressed out! But he's a good korean guy, my mentor and shoulder to lean on (oopppaaa!!! bewhahaha).....cutest???.... mmmm..... ??????????? LOL!!!!

@SAMSOOKI
thanks by the way for that reply on the DVD... ^-^ I made my reply too...a little late...

"The world is changing, too slow for some, too fast for others."

I agree with you Samsooki on this phrase....
For me, the world is changing too fast...or is it because i have lived a sheltered life with traditions, moral, ethical and religious beliefs strongly imbedded?

What is foreign and new to me...makes me think with interest...sometimes fear sets in... i think, i get doubtful and wary because my knowledge on certain things is limited and sometimes the knowledge i have gained deviates from what I have been exposed to.I have been taught to be open minded too, nevertheless, on my part, it takes time for some things, new to me, to really settle in my mind.

I think... most people too are wary, or fearful(if i may use the word) because they lack the knowledge and what they see deviates from the norm, beliefs that they strongly hold and are accustom to. Fear makes people angry, defensive, and hateful...

And some people are just to stubborn to accept change... ^-^

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56 Nodame

June 22, 2009 at 2:44 PM

Keep up the good work reporting on all types of films/dramas etc. I think it is important! YEAH! Now I want to watch this!

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57 Muffin

June 22, 2009 at 4:00 PM

I just finished watching Rainbow Eyes with Story of a Man's Kim Kang Woo and although I detest the "gay people as sexual deviants" motif, it was an excellent, EXCELLENT movie and I'm glad I have this lighter (?) gay fare to look forward to.

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58 retsnom_Adedekutsu

June 23, 2009 at 4:32 AM

"if it keeps homophobics away, great!"

Lei, I definitely agree. I just hate it when homophobics say something against gays stuff if it isn't constructive.

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59 sally

June 23, 2009 at 4:54 AM

OMG...i wanna see this one. It might be good coz the actors look great.

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60 xvii

June 23, 2009 at 8:56 AM

haven't seen boy meets boy, but i think i'll give this one a try. if i don't like it, i'm completely swearing off dramabeans.com. hehehe. i'm kidding.

thanks for this piece of news, javabeans. informative, as always.

p.s.
does anyone know of a non-queer film directed by kim jo gwang-soo? thanks.

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61 superyan

July 12, 2009 at 11:00 PM

did they change actors? what happened to hong jong hyun?

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62 reigne

November 7, 2009 at 4:47 AM

boy meets boy was such a sweet and cute movie esp. kim hye sung!!..he's sooo cute!! i want to watch this right now!! it looks cute...does anybody know where i can watch it online??
^^

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63 reverie

June 6, 2010 at 6:40 AM

Watch the movie. It;s the first movie that feels 'normal' for gay couple. (other's just act). They're both cute...... are they both straight?? LOL.... really good acting and directing then. (give two thumbs up for the hot scene)

Thank you for informing about it.

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64 Calvin Ken

March 25, 2011 at 8:41 AM

After watching the movie I was wondering if they are really gay? :D

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65 Eric

February 26, 2012 at 4:33 AM

Sighh i find this movie kinda of sweet even to alot of males these days lol you do get a nice vibe from them but then again im kinda of jelous haha being gay is not a disease you cant just look at a picture and im gay now == you born that way you just born with your mind thinking that women are beautiful pretty or cute but just not sexy for you and you find that men are hansom hot and cute and sexy for you (bad english) i really hate when people say people like us are disgusting, dirty and it turns them off because to bad because people like us deserve happiness to == if you homophobic just stay away its as simple as that if u dont have anything good to say just stay silent == that is my conclusion and thanks for all the straight people who dont mind about us

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