The Bacchus Lady (2016)
(Jug-yeo-ju-neun Yeo-ja)
Country: KOR
Technical: col 110m
Director: Je-yong Lee
Cast: Yuh-Jung Youn, Hyun-jun Choi, Yoon Kyesang
Synopsis:
An elderly sex worker takes in a lost boy, reawakening long dormant maternal feelings, and helps a series of old men from her acquaintance confront death.
Review:
Such a heterodox combination of thematic material could only come from South Korea, in a decade that saw renewed innovation in the types of story being told there. Youn's Bacchus Lady (a reference to the beverage which acts as signifier for commercial sex) carries all before her in an achingly truthful portrayal of a woman whose natural impulse to do good bypasses ethical norms. Though not always clear on the logistics of her daily life, particularly concerning the young boy, Lee's film strikes a blow for the lot of the retired population in Korea, which apparently has the worst record among OECD countries for looking after the aged.
(Jug-yeo-ju-neun Yeo-ja)
Country: KOR
Technical: col 110m
Director: Je-yong Lee
Cast: Yuh-Jung Youn, Hyun-jun Choi, Yoon Kyesang
Synopsis:
An elderly sex worker takes in a lost boy, reawakening long dormant maternal feelings, and helps a series of old men from her acquaintance confront death.
Review:
Such a heterodox combination of thematic material could only come from South Korea, in a decade that saw renewed innovation in the types of story being told there. Youn's Bacchus Lady (a reference to the beverage which acts as signifier for commercial sex) carries all before her in an achingly truthful portrayal of a woman whose natural impulse to do good bypasses ethical norms. Though not always clear on the logistics of her daily life, particularly concerning the young boy, Lee's film strikes a blow for the lot of the retired population in Korea, which apparently has the worst record among OECD countries for looking after the aged.
(Jug-yeo-ju-neun Yeo-ja)
Country: KOR
Technical: col 110m
Director: Je-yong Lee
Cast: Yuh-Jung Youn, Hyun-jun Choi, Yoon Kyesang
Synopsis:
An elderly sex worker takes in a lost boy, reawakening long dormant maternal feelings, and helps a series of old men from her acquaintance confront death.
Review:
Such a heterodox combination of thematic material could only come from South Korea, in a decade that saw renewed innovation in the types of story being told there. Youn's Bacchus Lady (a reference to the beverage which acts as signifier for commercial sex) carries all before her in an achingly truthful portrayal of a woman whose natural impulse to do good bypasses ethical norms. Though not always clear on the logistics of her daily life, particularly concerning the young boy, Lee's film strikes a blow for the lot of the retired population in Korea, which apparently has the worst record among OECD countries for looking after the aged.