A Kingdom Built on Desire and Betrayal
When Empire of Lust was released in 2015, it was first marketed as a historical Korean film. Over time, however, it came to be recognized as a provocative exploitation of power, loyalty, and forbidden desire inscribed in the tumultuous founding years of the Joseon dynasty. Ahn Sang-hoon, the film’s director, made it a point to advertise the film as something promising in grandeur and intrigue and to a certain extent, he achieved that. What made the film a real success, however, was the storytelling that lay behind the lavish costumes and the multiple scenes of warfare. The film was also a story about passion, a theme that reverberated in the lives of the characters and the actors.
The Story Beneath the Story
Empire of Lust was primarily the story of Kim Min-jae, played by Shin Ha-kyun, and on a more mechanical level, the plot followed a brilliant general who was responsible for the safekeeping of the nation and the border politics of the capitol. Min-jae’s son, Jin, played by Kang Ha-neul, was a carefree soul and a courtesan of sorts who represented the stifling generational tension of freedom and assigned duty. Ka-hee, the enigmatic courtesan played by Kang Han-na, becomes the object of lust for Min-jae and is the one who draws him to a labyrinth of desire and four weakness. Equally central to the story is the young and ambitious Yi Bang-won, played by Jang Hyuk, who, as the future King Taejong, manipulates the kingdom with his exceptional political ingenuity.
Nonetheless, the film incorporates far more than merely romantic relations and rivalries. What needs to be emphasized, however, is the manifestation and unchecked desire to control and obtain. That love can lead to revenge and construct empires built on sand. The title suggests it: an ‘empire’ forged not on vision, ‘justice’, but on lust and the captive members on enslaved empires built on lust. Each character is enslaved to something far larger than themselves, built on chains stronger than oblivion and desire, and far more maddening.
Underlying Symbols of Lust and Power.
The film ventures into the more fascinating use of lust in the film’s multiple layers. For Min-jae, lust is not merely prurient. It is something far deeper, a longing for a simpler, even softer, humanity in a world increasingly cold and brutal, calculated and devoid of warmth. Ka-hee, for example, is less a seductress than more an embodiment of the absence of something warm, and it is deeply tragic the cruel, even sinister, irony of Min-jae’s unraveling. Jin’s hedonism is a powerful ‘symbol’ of youth willingly ‘adrift’ and ‘lost’ in a political time radically ‘disrupted’ when ‘tomorrow’ was ‘uncertain’ and ‘dark.’ Yi Bang-won’s unmitigated ‘hunger’, is on the other hand, for ‘absolute control.’ His ‘lust’ is ‘ambition’ and, thus, far ‘colder’ and more ‘dangerous’ than ‘any romance.’
While fans who analyzed the film on social media remarked the prominence of mirrors and shadows in certain scenes, the reflections captured during intimate moments suggested the possibility of double lives and concealed secrets. The shadows cast on the walls of the palace, folded and contorted into the shape of betrayal, suggested collusion of the very architecture with the malign intentions of the occupants.
Actors and their Parallels
Having played deeply affecting and intense roles in films like Save the Green Planet!, Shin Ha-kyun, like the character Min-jae that he portrayed, has had to maneuver his way through a similar emotional and professional conflict in Korean cinema, theater and the role of his character. Off-screen he described the challenge of portraying a character deeply endowed with discipline, who, because of love, falls, and inverts that discipline, like a challenge not far removed from the way aging actors seem to confront industry’s obsession with youth.
In the case of Jang Hyuk, he brought the wrath he perfected in other roles to Yi Bang-won. Jang experienced a draft-dodging scandal which led to a tumultuous career. His Yi Bang-won performance embodied the unrelenting ambition and desire he fought to reclaim following that scandal. The hunger of a man who knows there is a great deal to be lost, and the cold and calculating drive to perform, was a lesson pulled from real life.
Kang Ha-neul brought life as the pleasure-seeking son, Jin. During this time, he was a ‘new face of Korea’ as he began to transition from ‘young’ roles in television dramas and films to darker titles. The care-free, reckless abandon of his character juxtaposed the career risks he was taking, broadening the spectrum of the roles he was willing, and able, to perform.
Newer to the cast, and the industry, Kang Han-na as Ka-hee was tasked with casting the most enigmatic spell on the audience. Ka-hee was a love interest, a trigger, and a mirror to Min-jae containing everything he wished for but was lost. Critics and fans lauded the performance with emotional depth and poise with Ka-hee, marking the role as one of her early, and tremendous, breakthroughs.
Hype, Expectations, and the First Glimpses
The marketing for Empire of Lust indicated that the film would blend passion and violence. The advertisements juxtaposed battlefield scenes with quiet, romantic whispers. Korean news described it as “a Joseon epic with a dangerous heart.” Fans were anticipating a typical sageuk, albeit a more twisted and sensual version of it.
The cast interviews increased the anticipation even more. While Jang Hyuk stated that he enjoyed the role as he loved the psychological and emotional intensity the role demanded, more interest was focused on Kan Han-na who discussed the “incredible amount of both physical and psychological” preparation that was needed to portray the bold young character of Ka-hee. The fact that she was taking on such a bold character so early in her career increased interest on her preparation.
Responses to the film were mixed, with some finding it psychologically rich while others described it as slow. However, virtually all were impacted by the intense questions it raised regarding the futility of ambition and desire to make one’s heart ache.
What the Cameras Missed
Empire of Lust was not without difficulties. The unpredictability of weather during the large scale battle sequences meant lost shooting days. Some within the production team lamented that the crew damaged and rebuilt props so frequently that they stretched the budget and exhausted themselves.
There was also controversy over casting Ka-hee. Different actors were suggested, but reports suggest director Ahn Sang-hoon picked Kang Han-na despite doubts over her limited marketability. In retrospect, this was the right choice as this performance became one of the most praised of the film.
Unique, too, was the director’s choice of using no artificial lighting in the palace interiors. While it sparked authenticity and artistry, it increased the difficulty of the cinematography. The gamble, though, was justified. The film’s use of halls and chambers, dimly lit and candle-lit, became visual metaphors of secrecy and desire.
A Tale That Still Lingers
Even if Empire of Lust did not reach blockbuster proportions, its ambition was undeniable. It not only attempted to portray history with the more dominant hues of power and politics, it painted it with the more underappreciated shades of human yearning. For the audiences willing to dig a little deeper, the film was more than a superficial story with scandalous love affairs; it was a story where the dominant human drives of passion and desire formed the undercurrent of history.
And that is perhaps the reason why the film continues to be the topic of conversation: for its willingness to portray that empires, be they of nations or of the heart, remain at their most fragile where lust lies.
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