5/5 Painfully Beautiful
  by Christopher L. Rauh (Maryland, USA)
Being a gay Korean, I could really relate to the story. You know, its not that it isn't there, its just not discussed. But this, without a doubt, is my favorite movie. It is gut wrenching and heart felt. The acting is superb. It will have you hooked from start to finish. There is so much emotion packed into one film. Be ready to cry

5/5 A Real Love Story
  by Alan K. Weeks (Los Angeles, CA USA)
I first saw this movie in a theater here in Los Angeles. I was very impressed with the honesty of the story and acting. An inside view of Gay life in Korea. Life is life and
not all that different from country to country.The ending is very scary but all ends well.
I was very pleased when it came out on DVD. I thought it might not be released but it was.
I hope more Korean movies like this are made.

Alan

3/5 Predictable...and not.
  by Sewing Newbie (San Francisco, CA)
Though the movie was predictable, we enjoyed this film - until towards the end where the plot became ridiculous and just didn't make sense.

4/5 Darkly Beautiful
  by Cali Dude
This is a movie that gets more complex and interesting as it goes along. First it seems like a nice little story about a small town boy trying to make it in the big city. Then it becomes a bit grittier for awhile, before morphing into a romantic drama about two guys from opposite sides of the tracks. But just when you think you know where it's going, it takes several dark twists and turns, and in the end leaves you with a devastatingly haunting feeling.
The main actor is excellent, not to mention incrediby handsome. The cinematography and direction are first-rate (if somewhat low-budget) and the movie is filled with indelible images. The city of Seoul is used to its best advantage, showcasing both its daytime beauty and its neon-lit, nocturnal excitement and danger. Overall, a very cool movie.

5/5 Darkly emotional and captivating film is a must-see!
  by Bob Lind (Phoenix, AZ United States)
A poor boy falls in love with a rich one ... it's a story that has been told over and over in gay films, but not as well as it is in "No Regret" (Huhwihaji anha) (South Korea 2006), a landmark Asian film now available (subtitled) on DVD for American audiences.

Lee Su-min is a poor 18 year old from a country orphanage, who stays with a friend in Seoul and tries to make a living, working at both a factory and as a driver for a service. When a rich slightly older man makes a pass at him on the job, Lee Su-min overreacts and quits that job, and soon loses his factory job as well. He goes to work for a "host bar" (brothel), where the rich older man finds him again, but is again told that he is not interested, but he persists. Eventually, he becomes secure enough to realize that his suitor doesn't have all of the power, and genuinely falls in love with the man. But the man's parents have already arranged a marriage for him, and that leaves Lee Su-min out in the cold.

This is very different than most Asian gay films I have seen, being extremely emotional and more than a bit dark and violent. But the director did wonders with his tiny budget, getting commendable performances from a cast of fully-developed characters, and pacing the film for maximum effect. Rated R for rear nudity and simulated sex. Adapted for US distribution by a subsidiary of Here!TV, so likely to be on their OnDemand schedule at some point. DVD is in Korean with English subtitles, no extras other than a trailer and photo gallery. Definitely worth a look, I give this one a full five stars out of five.