No Regret

It is sometimes difficult for western audiences to comprehend eastern sensibilities. No Regret, dealing as it does with the world of male hustlers, proved scandalous on its domestic release in 2006. While there is nothing here as extreme as Paul Morrissey’s films or Mysterious Skin (nor as wacky as My Own Private Idaho), the film paints a vivid picture of a Seoul almost never seen. A contemplative story exploring the economic circumstances that drive orphan Sumin into prostitution, and the painful desire he awakens in a rich man’s son. The pacing can be a little too leisurely, while the final reel lapses into melodrama, although conceivable, feels contrived. There is, however, much to appreciate. Despite a reported budget of $100,000, director Leesong Hee-Il shoots with a real eye for colour, composition and movement, and captures two moments of genuine poetry, one involving the scattering of ashes, the other recalling Wilde’s observation about the gutter and the stars.