Sex Is Zero

Considering that American Pie flopped in Korea, it must have taken at least a little bit of nerve to expect big returns out of a Korean sex comedy. Even more brash was to release it on the same day as the second Harry Potter film, but for Sex is Zero the risks have paid off enormously. The film sold almost as many tickets as Harry Potter, and earned more than $20 million in Korea alone. Subtle it is not, but Sex is Zero is an entertaining way to spend an evening, for those who can stomach the bodily fluids on display. The story focuses on Eun-shik (played by singer/actor Lim Chang-jung), who returns from his obligatory military service to enroll at the university. After joining the Power Man Club, he becomes acquainted with the women in the aerobics club who share the same gym. Though seldom on purpose, he finds himself entangled in numerous outrageous and embarrassing situations, all the while falling deeper in love with the most popular woman on the aerobics team (played by rising star Ha Ji-won). Writer and director Yoon Je-gyun says that most of the incidents in this film are based on his own and his friends’ experiences at the university. Whether or not you believe that, the content of this film is quite strong, in sexual terms as well as its propensity to induce nausea. More than the jokes themselves, though, the film’s biggest strength is the energy it maintains, thanks to enthusiastic acting and capable directing. As with his highly successful debut feature My Boss, My Hero (which, coincidentally, was also released on the same day as a Harry Potter film), director Yoon shifts gear into a more serious mood towards the end of the film. Whether viewers find this twist daring or not, it gives an added layer to the film which its posters and trailers don’t hint at.