Forbidden Quest

Forbidden Quest is a rich and beautiful period film that is subversive in subject matter yet quirky in mood and execution. It takes place during the late Choson period, in the 18th century. The Choson (or Joseon) period was a long running dynasty of Korean origin that ran from 1312 to 1910, before being taken over by Japan. The monarchy had established absolute control over Korea, and implemented Confucianism ideals and doctrines into society and culture (reflecting its Chinese influence). It was also a great cultural period where the arts flourished. The movie centers on a court inspector, Kim Yoon-suh (played to perfection by Han Suk-kyu) who during an investigation of a family crisis comes across a store that stocks houseware and pornographic books. He writes stories as well, and is intrigued by one book, a popular dirty novel and reads it. He decides that its outrageous descriptions and fantasies are what he needs to stimulate his work, but is too embarrassed to put it to paper. His encounter with the royal concubine Jung-bin (Kim Min-jung), brought about from hearing about his "heroic" deeds in a prior investigation, spurs him to write his own fantasies, using her as a character in the book. He establishes a relationship with the owner of the store that distributes the books, and the first chapter is a sensation. But it second only to another author, and Kim Yoon-suh's desire to succeed leads him to be more innovative. He recruits Lee Gwang-hun (Lee Beom-su), a court administrator known as "The Angel of Death," who paints on the side. They are assisted by two men who help produce the pictures and writing, but also pose for the various sexual positions. The creative process that this involves is outrageously funny. Kim Yoon-suh and Jung-bin meet and make love in secret -- she risks her life in leaving the palace. This encounter is used in the content of the book, and the pictures of the people in the chapter are too similar to the real people -- Lee Gwang-hun watched them make love and drew them. The second chapter becomes wildly popular. The ladies of the court see the similarities, and Jung-bin finds out and is horrified by the betrayal. She informs the emperor, and Kim-Yoon-suh is imprisoned and tortured -- they want to know who did the drawings as well. He refuses to tell them, and Lee Gwang-hun, who is present during the torture, tries to take his friend away to hide, but is confronted by the eunuch guards. A brutal confrontation ensues, where most of the guards are killed, but The Angel of Death is wounded, and is carried away, and Kim Yoon-suh is brought back to the palace. He is to be condemned to death, but Jung-bin surprisingly intervenes, and the two confess their love for each other. The emperor releases Kim Yoon-suh, but the two are never to see each other again -- they will be reunited in the afterlife. Lee Gwang-hun finds Kim Yoon-suh living on the seashore, and Yoon-suh concocts a new idea for an even more outrageous dirty book, one about homosexual love.

The movie is beautifully shot, with well composed scenes and gorgeous color. You get a feel of the historic period, and the subversive role that the dirty books have on a conservative culture. However, I found the shift in moods a bit odd, from the gritty police procedural that takes place in the first 15 minutes of the movie, to the comedic sequences of the creative process that goes on in making the book, to the torture and love story that crops up at the end. I'm not really sold on the love story -- while it is clear that Jung-bin and Kim Yoon-suh are attracted to each other, I don't feel that it was a strong love that could lead to her pleas to have his life spared, or for him to declare his love for her. He was using her from the start, and she was looking for a fling, for something exciting and dangerous, to get away from the stale and confining palace. And there was a funny sequence between Kim Yoon-suh and Lee Gwang-hun, as they are discussing new sexual positions, where you have a miniature couple in black stage uniforms act out the various positions. It is funny but it doesn't fit with the rest of the movie -- in tone, perhaps, but visually it is very different. You don't see that fantasy stuff played out at any other time. I like that the titillation is described but not shown, demonstrating the power that words have on the imagination. A good movie, though inconsistent in parts. Recommended.