The Bacchus Lady
South Korea 110 mins
“A tour de force from the grand dame of Korean cinema.” – Hollywood Reporter
Legend of Korean cinema Youn Yuh-Jung teams up with filmmaker and frequent collaborator E J-yong (The Actresses, MIFF 2009) for the delicate, heartrending drama of The Bacchus Lady.
Youn plays So-young, an ageing sex worker who tries to retain an impartial distance from her similarly ageing clients. But when she finds herself tasked with two opposing roles – one life supporting, the other life ending – she’s forced to reckon with what it means to truly care for another human being.
Handling the most delicate of subject matter with dignity and a feeling for the absurd, The Bacchus Lady is a powerful exploration of ageing, sex and death – and a surefire after-film conversation starter.