'My Fair Wedding' documents gay marriage with loving touch

Kim Jho Gwang-soo, left, and Kim Seung-hwan appear in a scene from “My Fair Wedding” / Courtesy of Jinjin Pictures

By Baek Byung-yeul

In May 2013, when film director Kim Jho Gwang-soo announced he planned to wed long-time partner Kim Seung-hwan (also known as Dave Kim), many Koreans were shocked.

In Korea, where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are a minority and same-sex marriage is still banned, the couple’s somewhat brave announcement was a catalyst in raising awareness about sexual minorities.

After astonishing the country, the couple recorded every moment of preparations for the wedding, which were held in front of a huge crowd.

My Fair Wedding,” which will open in theaters next month, documents the months-long preparations for the nuptials of Kim, 49, and his partner, who is 19 years younger.

We recognized the need to make our story into a film because we wanted to show what we did, not like what Don Quixote did,” Kim, CEO of Rainbow Factory, a film company producing LGBT movies, said at the premier of the film in Wangsimni, Seoul, on May 14.

“Through this film, we would like to show that we are not different from heterosexuals,” said Kim Jho, who is also a gay rights activist.

The 94-minute film begins with Kim Jho explaining why he and his partner decided to wed.

“It is because we are deeply in love with each other. I deserve as much blessing as Princess Diana and Prince Charles did in 1981,” Kim Jho says in the film.

However, like many heterosexual couples, the two soon confronted unexpected difficulties while preparing for their“magnificent wedding.”These difficulties ranged from where and how to hold their wedding to how to tell their families.

The film gives a glimpse of the conflicts between the two men, as well as their problem-solving steps and their intimate, loving talks.

“As the film shows, we talk with each other a lot,” Kim Jho told reporters. “We never forget to talk for about 30 minutes before we go to bed. I think having an honest talk is the best way to solve problems between couples.

Among the most touching scenes in the movie is when the two finally hold their wedding ceremony near Gwangtong Bridge over Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul, despite anti-gay marriage demonstrators.

Director Jang Hee-sun said the film aimed to show the two gay men’s personal appeal as humans.

“There are many aspects to a person, and it is unfair to judge someone by one fact, which is that they are gay,” Jang said.

Jang, who has made such independent movies such as “We Shall Overcome” ― focusing on women’s social status in Korea ― followed the men’s wedding preparations for about a year from May 2013 to May 2014.

“It’s true that the film deals with the sexual minority issue, but I think it means more than that because it focuses more on the lovers, who have overcome a series of obstacles to be happier,” she said.

“My Fair Wedding” will screen from June 4.