Reading List: The Pollen of Flowers and The Subversive Strain in Modern Korean Films


Adam Nicholson at All Over Korea wrote an article recently on The Pollen of Flowers (화분), which is apparently one of the first films to contain a gay relationship in Korean film. The film sounds disturbingly violent. Do not expect a loving homosexual relationship. After reading his article, I recommend checking out Susan Menadue-Chun's The Subversive Strain Strain in Modern Korean Films. While doing her master's at the University of Sydney, she wrote this piece which gives a good outline of the laws censoring and/or promoting domestic films under various Korean administrations as well as introducing the Pollen of Flowers and other films that had themes which challenged repressive regimes.

If either of these pieces pique your interest in the film, Pollen of Flowers is available at the Korean Movie Database. With a free membership, you can watch a bunch of films online. KMDB also made The Pollen of Flowers available on youtube.